It has been just over a yr because 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 have been serious concerns about what a HTS-led government would mean for Christians and other minorities in Syria, despite assurances from the brand new government that it could be inclusive and respect the historic minority communities within the country.
Since then, the provisional government has struggled to take care of peace in a rustic which, after a decade of civil war, is awash with a large number of armed groups.
In March a whole lot 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 primary parliamentary elections because the takeover of power.
A ceasefire between the federal government and the Kurds was agreed on 23 December, but apparently broke down this week in an incident through which seven people, mostly civilians, were killed.
An area Catholic Sister, Annie Demerjian, told the charity Aid to the Church in Need that after so a few years of war the individuals are “drained”.
“There isn’t any dialogue between the Kurds and the governments which makes them fight together as they don’t come to any agreement,” she said.
“We feel sad since the individuals are so drained after many, a few years of war and conflicts and till now, the situation continues which is unacceptable.
“We ask you to wish for the people in Syria, especially the people in Aleppo, those that are experiencing every kind of fear, those that left their homes, and a few who lost dear ones.”
Catholic missionary, Father Hugo Alaniz, warned that the newest breakdown within the ceasefire might be the start of greater conflict.
He said “it seems that either side are planning something greater, based on the quantity of bombing and gunfire we’re hearing”.
“There’s loads of army around,” he added.
Other local clergy have urged believers all over the place to wish for peace, not only between the federal government and the Kurds, but across all the country.
Speaking during New Year’s Mass on the Mariamite Cathedral in Damascus, Patriarch Yazigi called on Syrian Christians to face firm.
“We, as Christians on this land, are usually not asking to be protected,” Yazigi said. “Together with our fellow residents, we protect and construct this land.”
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