A cautious optimism lay over large parts of the ethnically and religiously divided Syria when dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown last winter after decades of terror rule.
Then everything that was feared happened.
Well over 1,000 people – no official figure has been confirmed yet – were killed in coastal areas where mainly the Shia Muslim minority group, the Alawites, to which Assad belongs, live. Many Christians were also killed.
One of the few aid organizations on site was the one founded by Roy Moussalli in the early 2000s. SSSD, Syrian Society for Social Development, grew into an interreligious aid organization with a focus on particularly vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities or children who have gone astray.
When the war broke out, all Syrians became vulnerable, says Roy Moussalli, visiting Stockholm.
Staff members affected
The organization scaled up. Today, it has 1,200 employees and even more volunteer workers around the country – including in the coastal area where the violence erupted in early March.
One of our volunteers was killed with her husband in their home. Only their three-month-old baby survived, because they didn't see him.
"They" are militias, set in to quell what the new government under Sunni leader Ahmed al-Sharaa assumed was the beginning of a rebellion against the leadership.
It is likely, according to Moussalli, that the militias that carried out the massacres to varying degrees do not operate under the government's direct control, but acted on their own initiative.
Humanity's worst sides show themselves at such times. But at the same time, we have staff members, Alawites, who when they fled their homes received protection from Sunni Muslims. Even the best comes to the fore, says Moussalli.
National reconciliation required
A large part of SSSD's work involves working for reconciliation between groups at the local level. As people are now starting to return to the areas where the massacres took place, the organization ensures that those who help and distribute aid belong to other ethnic groups than those affected.
But increasing trust must be focused on at the national level as well, Moussalli believes. The new government has initiated an investigation committee to hold those responsible for the massacres accountable. It was just such efforts that were lacking under Assad, says Moussalli, who however emphasizes that we must wait and see if al-Sharaa is serious about upholding justice.
Despite the uncertainties, he remains optimistic.
We don't have many other options.
