Syrians hope for national revival amid celebrations on 1st anniversary of Assad fall

DAMASCUS

Syrians on Dec. 8 gathered in the streets to celebrate the first anniversary since Bashar al-Assad’s fall, with calls for reconstruction and national revival echoing despite some challenges.

The atmosphere in Damascus was jubilant as thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, after mosques in the Old City began the day broadcasting celebratory prayers at dawn.

"The current phase requires the unification of efforts by all citizens to build a strong Syria, consolidate its stability, safeguard its sovereignty, and achieve a future befitting the sacrifices of its people," Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said following dawn prayers at Damascus's famous Umayyad Mosque.

He was wearing military garb as he did when he entered the capital a year ago.

Sharaa's Islamist-led alliance launched a lightning offensive in late November last year, taking the capital Damascus on Dec. 8 after nearly 14 years of war and putting an end to more than five decades of the Assad family's iron-fisted rule.

Since then Sharaa has managed to restore Syria's international standing and has won sanctions relief, but he faces major challenges in guaranteeing security, rebuilding crumbling institutions, regaining Syrians' trust and keeping his fractured country united.

As part of the celebrations in Damascus, hundreds of military personnel marched down a major thoroughfare as helicopters flew overhead and people lined the streets to watch.

Sharaa and several ministers were in attendance, state media reported.

"What happened over the past year seems like a miracle," said Iyad Burghol, 44, a doctor, citing developments.

"People are demanding electricity, lower prices and higher salaries" after years of war and economic crisis, Burghol told AFP.

"But the most important thing to me is civil peace, security and safety," he added.

Multi-confessional Syria's fragile transition has been shaken this year by sectarian bloodshed in the country's Alawite and Druze minority heartlands, alongside ongoing Israeli military operations.

Under a March deal, the Kurdish administration was to integrate its institutions into the central government by year-end, but progress has stalled, adding another challenge to the country’s unity.

The international community also sent messages of support to Syrians and for the reconstruction.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that his organization remains "fully committed to working with Syrians to make this transition a success."

European Council President Antonio Costa reiterated the bloc's support for Syria, saying, “Syrians are taking steps toward a more stable and inclusive future.”

France also said that Syria “can no longer live under fear and arbitrariness.”

"A year ago, Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime collapsed. The hell of the Sednaya prison came to an end. This moment must remain a point of no return. Syria can no longer live under fear and arbitrariness," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.

The U.N refugee agency reported that more than 1 million refugees and nearly 2 million internally displaced Syrians have returned to their homes since Assad’s fall. But without jobs and reconstruction, some will leave again.