Syria-based Sister Annie Demerjian with displaced girls in Aleppo. (Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)
It has been just over a year since the government of Bashar al-Assad was toppled in Syria and replaced by a provisional government headed by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
As an offshoot of al-Qaeda, there were serious concerns about what a HTS-led government would mean for Christians and other minorities in Syria, despite assurances from the new government that it would be inclusive and respect the historic minority communities in the country.
Since then, the provisional government has struggled to maintain peace in a country which, after a decade of civil war, is awash with a multitude of armed groups.
In March hundreds of Alawites were massacred by an armed group, while in July fighting broke out between the Druze and Bedouins in Suwayda. In October fighting erupted between government forces and Kurds in Aleppo, following the first parliamentary elections since the takeover of power.
A ceasefire between the government and the Kurds was agreed on 23 December, but apparently broke down this week in an incident in which seven people, mostly civilians, were killed.
A local Catholic Sister, Annie Demerjian, told the charity Aid to the Church in Need that after so many years of war the people are “tired”.
“There is no dialogue between the Kurds and the governments which makes them fight together as they do not come to any agreement,” she said.
“We feel sad because the people are so tired after many, many years of war and conflicts and till now, the situation continues which is unacceptable.
“We ask you to pray for the people in Syria, especially the people in Aleppo, those who are experiencing all kinds of fear, those who left their homes, and some who lost dear ones.”
Catholic missionary, Father Hugo Alaniz, warned that the latest breakdown in the ceasefire could be the beginning of greater conflict.
He said “it appears that both sides are planning something bigger, according to the amount of bombing and gunfire we are hearing”.
“There’s a lot of army around,” he added.
Other local clergy have urged believers everywhere to pray for peace, not only between the government and the Kurds, but across the entire country.
Speaking during New Year’s Mass at the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, Patriarch Yazigi called on Syrian Christians to stand firm.
“We, as Christians in this land, are not asking to be protected,” Yazigi said. “Together with our fellow citizens, we protect and build this land.”
