Syria: Militia groups sanctioned by EU over violence against Alawites

The EU on May 28th imposed sanctions on three Syrian militia groups as well as two of their leaders over human rights abuses for their purported involvement in lethal violence during March, France 24 with AFP reported.

During March, in Syria’s coastal region, over 1,700 died due to attacks which were mainly aimed at the Alawites. The Alawites are linked to the clan of  Bashar al-Assad, the former leader of Syria.

The pro-Turkey groups, known as the Sultan Sulaiman Shah Brigade, the Hamza Division and the Sultan Murad Division have been included in Brussels’ sanctions list for their involvement in the violence.

Alawite civilians have been engulfed in sectarian attacks. Twelve civilians, mainly Alawites, were killed in two sectarian attacks in Syria on March 31st, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, The New Arab reported.

The violence had erupted amid ongoing instability following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, which ended nearly 14 years of civil war.

In coastal Tartus province, six civilians, including a local official, were killed in an attack on Alawite residents. The Observatory reported that the perpetrators launched the assault from a military base used by Syria’s new authorities near Banias.

Witnesses had said the attackers shouted sectarian slogans before opening fire. In a separate incident in Homs, two armed men stormed an Alawite family’s home, killing a woman and three of her children, including a minor. Two Sunni Muslim visitors also died in the attack. The Observatory accused one of the perpetrators of belonging to the General Security agency and said security forces were investigating the incident.

Earlier in March, Syria witnessed its worst sectarian violence since Assad’s fall. More than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed in massacres that swept through the group’s coastal stronghold.

Syria’s president Ahmed al-Sharaa, had condemned the violence and vowed to prosecute those responsible. He announced the creation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the bloodshed.

Alawite communities remain fearful of reprisals for Assad’s brutal rule, as sectarian tensions continue to fuel violence.

The New Arab, France 24 with AFP