Name: Syrias leaders take controversial steps to win Alawite loyalty
Uploaded: 2025-12-30T15:24:14.486Z
Duration: 2 min 40 s
Description: Syria’s rulers are trying to mend hostilities after a bloody insurrection and reprisals between Assad loyalists and security forces in March with a scheme that offers financial support to members of the Alawite community.

Syria’s rulers are trying to mend hostilities after a bloody insurrection and reprisals between Assad loyalists and security forces in March with a scheme that offers financial support to members of the Alawite community.

Damascus

The Syrian government has implemented a new initiative aimed at restoring relations with the Alawite community after a recent uprising and subsequent violence that left thousands dead and many displaced. The program, led by the Supreme Committee for the Preservation of Civil Peace, offers financial assistance, employment opportunities, and medical services to Alawites, including amnesties for former fighters who pledge to cease hostilities.

Despite these efforts, the initiative has sparked controversy, with some Alawites and members of the broader Syrian public expressing opposition to government cooperation with former Assad loyalists and Islamist-led authorities. While some beneficiaries, such as Khair al-Adib, have been able to rebuild their lives, others remain skeptical about the prospects for lasting peace and justice.

Syria's leaders take controversial steps to win Alawite loyalty

Khair al-Adib went into hiding after an uprising by Alawite fighters against Syria's new rulers back in March. But the government, from which he once hid, has since helped him back on his feet. Now he owns his own café and is preparing to get married, thanks in part to an initiative aimed at winning the loyalty of Alawites, the sect from which ousted President Bashar al-Assad hailed. The fledgling and controversial plan could help the government assert control over the Alawite areas, and show progress on President Ahmed al-Shara's promise to govern for all Syrians. The March insurrection saw the Assad loyalists kill more than 200 members of Syria's security forces. It also triggered days of vengeance. Killings by government-affiliated forces left nearly 1,500 Alawites dead. Tens of thousands fled out of fear for their lives. To try and mend its fragile relationship with the Alawites, the government set up the Supreme Committee for the Preservation of Civil Peace. It offers financial help, jobs and medical services to hundreds of Alawites. That includes dozens of men who received amnesties in exchange for promising not to fight or to help demobilize other fighters. It's run by ex-militant leaders who fought on opposite sides during Syria's brutal 14-year civil war. One member is former rebel commander Hassan Soufan. He said there is a balance they need to strike between the initiative and the vast needs of the wider Syrian society. He also acknowledged some public anger at the government cooperating with former members of Assad's security establishment, but said Syria's leadership takes a longer-term view. Many in the Alawite community also oppose the work of the committee. That includes hardliners who see cooperation with Syria's Islamist-led authorities, which toppled Assad, as tantamount to treason. Others say it's still a long way until peace. Outside his charred home, farmer Wael Hassan says people are psychologically ready, but that justice and law must come first. The peace committee has promised to repair his house. Deeb denied taking part in any violence during the march insurrection. He said his role was communication and that he additionally helped keep captured security forces alive. His account was confirmed by a government official familiar with his amnesty settlement. That settlement helped Deeb set up the cafe, meaning he could afford to get engaged and is now planning to have kids. He wants to use the cafe, he says, to support school students. I decided, he said, to build something for the future.

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