[Today’s Prayer] Syria is in turmoil again… 1,000 people killed in 3 days, rare even during civil war

The situation in Syria, which declared an end to the civil war after the ouster of the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, is once again in turmoil.

As the bloodshed intensifies with over 1,000 people dead in three days due to clashes between armed forces supporting the Assad regime and the interim government, there are even concerns that the civil war may be ignited again.

According to AFP on the 8th (local time), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ( SOHR ) announced that 1,118 people have died in the three days since the 6th due to clashes between pro-Assad armed forces and the interim government.

125 interim government forces, 148 pro-Assad armed forces, and 745 Alawite civilians have died.

The NewYork Times pointed out that this situation is the most serious since the overthrow of the Assad regime.

The outbreak was sparked by ambushes by militants loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Jableh in Syria's western coastal city of Latakia and elsewhere.

The Times analyzed that the root of the incident is sectarian hatred.

Syria is home to various sects, including Sunni and Shiite Islam.

During the Assad regime, the Alawites, a minority Shiite sect, held power, but the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ( HTS ), which leads the interim government, has its roots in the Sunni extremist militant group al-Qaeda.

As a result, there have been constant concerns that sectarian armed conflict could erupt since the overthrow of the Assad regime.

The Syrian interim government is trying to lift international sanctions imposed during the Assad regime and also to remove the designation of HTS as a terrorist group.

The European Union ( EU ) and the UK have partially lifted sanctions on Syria, but the US has not yet lifted the designation of HTS as a terrorist group.

As the West is urging the new Syrian government to adopt inclusive policies, if it fails to achieve sectarian reconciliation and resolve the bloodshed, it may be difficult to improve relations with the West.

If the conflict continues and the embers of a new civil war do not disappear, the establishment of a normal state may become more difficult.

The problem is that the roots of sectarian hatred are so deep in the 13-year-long civil war that it may not be easy to find a solution to the situation.

Aaron Lund, a researcher at think tank Century International, interpreted the bloodshed as a “bad omen.”

He pointed out that the new government lacks the tools, compensation, and support base to communicate with the disgruntled Alawites.

He also pointed out that the new government only has repressive power, and that this comes mostly from extreme Islamic jihadists who consider the Alawites to be enemies of God.

Source: News

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

After declaring an end to the civil war, we hear that the land of Syria is once again swirling with division and the bloodshed of 1,000 people in four days.

As civil war threatens to reignite, we fervently pray that by your grace and compassion, peace and restoration will come upon the land of Syria.

Lord, may your abundant grace come upon the Syrian people, enabling them to have all things in abundance so that they may do good works, even in this difficult time of division and hatred. With this grace, guide those who have deeply experienced your love and care in their suffering to rise again.

We also pray for those who are suffering, that you will bless the churches in Syria and the Arab world with all they need to serve with the gospel, and that the church around the world will stand with them in prayer and material support, touching their hurts and planting seeds of restoration.

In particular, may the hope and faith that they received through the gospel of Jesus as refugees be strengthened in them, enabling them to serve as light and salt in the land of Syria as witnesses to the gospel, and may the Syrian people rise up as the high priests of the Arab world, fulfilling the vision of mission to the nations!