My Memory is Full of ghosts

The Syrian war is a testament to the people's resilience in the face of extraordinary challenges, underscoring a failure of global responsibility

- Yousef Wakkas

IN the last week of November and the first of December, following what seemed to be a prolonged hiatus from paramilitary operations, the Syrian rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year oppressive regime in Syria, reaching Damascus, the national capital, on December 8. Assad's fall was the realisation of the Syrian people's long-held aspiration.

They have endured approximately 55 years of rule characterised by oppression, humiliation and arrogance. During this period, the majority of state institutions were subjugated to serve a singular family, overseen by enforcers whose primary responsibility has been to stifle any dissenting voices—be it children, women or the elderly.

There existed neither space for residents or recognition of citizens' right to live with dignity. The policy was to keep people entrenched in their daily struggle for basic means of survival, while the revenues from our natural resources were redirected into Swiss and Austrian financial institutions. All of this transpired under the guise of a fabricated resistance and clandestine agreements with the occupying adversary, aimed at maintaining power for as long as possible until that inevitable moment arrives—a fate anticipated for every foolish and arrogant dictator: their eventual downfall.

Today, Syria remains sovereign, and it will continue to do so indefinitely. The implications of 'sectarianism' are profoundly alarming when it becomes a central element of power, especially in a nation like Syria that has historically been recognised as 'the beating heart of Pan-Arabism'.