UN Security Council condemns massacre of Syrian Alawites

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: According to Reuters, a meeting of the UN Security Council to review the massacre of Syrian Alawites is scheduled to be held today, Friday, March 14, 2025, at 10:00 am New York time (18:30 Afghan time).

 

At this meeting, the members of the Security Council will adopt a joint statement condemning the massacre.

 

The statement, which is set to be released, was prepared after a closed-door meeting of the 15-member council on Monday and calls on the Syrian interim authorities to assume full responsibility for protecting all civilians and bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

 

The UN Human Rights Office has also stated in a report that in the recent massacres in Tartus and Latakia, countless families, including women and children, have tragically lost their lives. Radical Salafi groups, especially forces affiliated with Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Muhammad al-Julani), have been identified as the main perpetrators of these violence. In a statement, al-Julani described these actions as the work of “arbitrary elements” and promised to deal with them.

In its statement, the Security Council emphasized the principles of sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria and called on all countries to refrain from any interference or destabilizing action in the country’s internal affairs.

 

The Council also emphasized the need to seriously confront terrorism and the threat of foreign fighters in Syria and called for urgent measures to prevent the spread of extremism.

 

The condemnation of the massacre of Alawites by the Security Council can be considered an important development in highlighting the sectarian crisis in Syria. This is the first time since the recent developments and the change in the power structure in Damascus that the Security Council has reacted so openly to a religious issue in Syria.

 

The joint statement by the United States and Russia also indicates a rare consensus between the two rival powers on the need to control extremism and prevent further social collapse in Syria. However, the continuation of insecurity and the strong presence of Salafi-jihadi groups show that the peace process in Syria remains fragile and risky.

 

Some analysts believe that the issuance of such statements without practical support and effective international monitoring is merely symbolic and cannot prevent the continuation of humanitarian disasters. On the other hand, the harsh reaction and neutralization of responsibility by Golani shows that the command structure in the armed groups also faces challenges.

 

Ultimately, the fate of Syria will depend heavily on the extent to which global powers effectively interact and the domestic capacity to create an accountable government, beyond ethnic and religious lines.

 

Recent killings in the coastal areas of Syria, including Tartus and Latakia, have drawn a wave of international condemnation. Human rights sources have reported the deaths of more than a thousand Alawite civilians. This comes as the balance of power in Syria has shifted in favor of armed groups since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, some of whom have resorted to violence with the aim of sectarian cleansing. The presence of foreign forces and the increasing influence of Israel in the border areas have also complicated the situation.