UN calls for peace as Syria commemorates 14 years since uprising

Anniversary is first since Bashar Al Assad’s regime was overthrown in December

Syrians gather in Umayyad Square in Damascus on Saturday to celebrate the 14th anniversary of the uprising against Bashar Al Assad. Sana

The UN called for peace in Syria as the country prepared to mark 14 years since the uprising against Bashar Al Assad with public gatherings on Saturday.

The anniversary is the first since the former president fled the country in December as rebels approached Damascus, where people waving the new Syrian flag gathered in Umayyad Square, which was once reserved for supporters of the Assad regime. State news agency Sana also reported large crowds gathered in Idlib, a former rebel stronghold.

“As we reflect on this first commemoration following the former government’s collapse and the jubilation that followed, the horrific violence of the past two weeks is a reminder of the immense challenges that lie ahead,” Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, chairman of the UN Syrian Commission, said in a statement.

Mr Pinheiro was referring to the recent wave of violence that engulfed the coastal areas in which hundreds of civilians, mostly men but also women and children, were killed.

At least 1,500 civilians, mainly Alawites and supporters of the Assad regime, were killed in the fighting that erupted on March 6, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

“At this moment, Syrians need renewed commitment to peace, justice, and the protection of human rights, to break the cycle of violence and ensure accountability for violations, regardless of the perpetrator,” Mr Pinheiro said.

Witnesses have described to the UN Commission extrajudicial killings amid intense clashes in the coastal areas between armed men allegedly loyal to the former government and the new self-declared government's security forces and affiliated groups, said a statement by the commission.

Hundreds of members of these forces are also reported to have been killed in combat or after capture, said the statement.

Interim President Ahmad Al Shara, who headed the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham that led the rebel offensive, has said those responsible will be punished, including his own allies.

Mr Al Shara has vowed to bring all of Syria's armed groups under the Ministry of Defence and to protect the numerous ethnic and religious minorities, which includes the Alawite sect to which the Assad family belongs.

On Thursday, he signed into force a constitutional declaration regulating a five-year transition period before a permanent constitution is adopted.

Analysts have criticised the declaration, saying it grants too much power to the President and fails to provide sufficient protection to minorities.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Friday: "It is 14 years since Syrians took to the streets in peaceful protest, demanding dignity, freedom and a better future."

Mr Pedersen said in a statement that despite the civil war, "the resilience of Syrians and their pursuit of justice, dignity and peace endure. And they now deserve a transition that is worthy of this." He called for "an immediate end to all violence and for protection of civilians".