December 28, 2024

Nearly 31,000 Syrians have returned home since the fall of strongman Bashar al-Assad, according to the interior minister of neighbouring Turkiye, which shelters some 3 million Syrian refugees. Meanwhile, inside the country on Friday, Syrians rallied for a day of remembrance in honour of the victims of the al-Assad regime and the 13-year civil war. Millions fled Syria after the war in 2011, but since the fall of al-Assad on December 8, there are hopes many will return. “The number of people who went back [from Turkiye] is 30,663,” Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told the local TGRT news channel on Friday, saying “30 percent” of them had been born in Turkiye. On Tuesday, Yerlikaya said more than 25,000 Syrians had returned in remarks to state news agency Anadolu, adding that they would be allowed to leave and re-enter Turkiye three times in the first half of 2025. Ankara would also open “a migration management office” in Aleppo, Syria’s second city, where most of the refugees living in Turkiye are from, he said without giving further details. And it would reopen its consulate general in Aleppo “in a few days”, he added, echoing remarks earlier this week by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkiye’s Damascus embassy reopened on December 14, six days after al-Assad was toppled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels. ‘I want the truth’ Meanwhile, in the capital Damascus and elsewhere, Syrians held a day of remembrance for those killed and imprisoned during al-Assad’s nearly 25-year reign. Dozens of sombre protesters gathered in central Damascus’s Hijaz Square to press the new authorities about the fate of relatives who went missing under al-Assad, holding pictures of the disappeared, the AFP news agency reported. “It is time for tyrants to be held accountable,” read a black banner unfurled from the balcony of the elegant Ottoman-era train station. Other placards read, “Revealing the fate of the missing is a right,” and “I don’t want an unmarked grave for my son, I want the truth.” Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Damascus, said people also gathered in other areas including the Umayyad Square. “I’ve seen many of the people with banners and posters and pictures of their loved ones who were killed or disappeared in prisons during the time of Bashar al-Assad or his father, Hafez al-Assad,” he said. At one point, Ahelbarra described the scenes on the streets as “chaotic”, as people were seen celebrating firing their guns in the air. Syria’s prisons had been a key pillar in supporting the al-Assad regime. Pictures, smuggled out of Syria in 2013, showed what Human Rights Watch said was “irrefutable evidence of widespread torture, starvation, beatings, and disease in Syrian government detention facilities”, in what amounted to a crime against humanity, the rights group said.Many who fled the civil war hope to return, as Syrians hold day of remembrance for victims of al-Assad regime. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/27/more-than-30000-syrians-returned-home-since-al-assads-fall-turkiye-says

Religious-political party protesting at over 10 sites in megalopolis against Kurram crisis in wake of Parachinar tribal clashes The bustling metropolis of the country faced severe traffic disruption for the third day as protest sit-ins organised by a religious-political party keep various roads closed across the city.  The protestors of Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen have blocked roads at over 10 locations in Karachi as part of their demonstration against the crisis like situation in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which emanated from tribal clashes in Parachinar.  The demonstrations, going on for three consecutive days, have brought vehicular movement to a standstill in several areas, creating chaos for commuters. Protests in KarachiPlay Video Providing an update on the traffic situation, Karachi Traffic Police reported that the central protest is being staged at Numaish Chowrangi. Other arteries facing closures include both tracks of Abul Hasan Isphani Road in front of Abbas Town and University Road near Samama Shopping Centre. Meanwhile, a sit-in was staged at Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad as well. Whereas, Sharea Faisal from Malir to Natha Khan Bridge was closed, however, the traffic was restored on the city-bound side starting from the bridge. Protesters also blocked the double track near Malir 15 bridge. Additionally, sit-ins were also reported from Surjani Town Road, Shahra-e-Pakistan near Ancholi, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Johar, and Nazimabad No 1, resulting in suspension of vehicular traffic. The National Highway near Township was completely shut, and a demonstration at Powerhouse Chowrangi further compounded the city’s traffic woes. Traffic police have been redirecting vehicles to alternative routes to mitigate congestion. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah appealed to the demonstrators to avoid causing hardship for the public, saying: “Blocking roads in Karachi and Sukkur will not resolve the Parachinar issue.” The protests stem from the deteriorating security situation in Parachinar, where clashes have resulted in over 130 fatalities since November, the point of recent escalation of conflict between two tribal groups. Reports also suggest over 100 children have died due to a medicine shortage, although KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif has denied these claims. Parachinar, located in Kurram, is a tribal district near the Afghan border with a population of around 600,000. It has long been a hotspot for conflict. Recent clashes have triggered a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of medicine and oxygen exacerbated by the closure of the highway connecting Parachinar to Peshawar. In a relief effort, the Sindh governor’s office announced that a helicopter carrying medical supplies and other aid had reached Parachinar. These provisions were sent on the Sindh governor’s directive to address the growing crisis. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1266282-traffic-chaos-persists-in-karachi-as-mwm-protests-enter-third-day

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/28/live-israeli-soldiers-storm-set-fire-to-last-hospital-in-northern-gaza