News Center – While violations continue on various levels and there are no serious solutions to address the security and human rights crises, the Syrian Interim Government remains adamant in refusing to conduct a genuine and effective dialogue with the concerned parties, including the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. In Suwayda, violations and breaches continue as well.

 

The Syrian File on the Security Council Table

The UN Security Council discussed the Syrian file in its political and humanitarian aspects and the amendment of the UN sanctions regime during the special monthly open session that began on Wednesday, October 22.

The session started by discussing the developments of the humanitarian and political situation in Syria, and the discussions focused on the tension between the Interim Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, as well as the field situation in the city of Suwayda.

It also addressed criticism regarding the lack of adequate representation of Syrians from various ethnic and sectarian backgrounds in the transitional process.

The Security Council is also expected to discuss the escalation in the Golan Heights and southern Syria in general, and efforts to establish new security understandings between Syria and “Israel.” The discussions also touched upon the increasing activity of ISIS terrorist cells.

During her speech via video link from Damascus, Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria, stressed the necessity of involving women in the parliament and called on the Interim Government to take steps to prevent the exclusion of women from leadership positions.

 

Student Protests and Suspension of Classes

Meanwhile, the Unified Doctorate Exam crisis sparked student protests at the Faculty of Medicine in the capital Damascus amid controversy over the competency standards. Students rejected the exam mechanism, considering it an “unfair burden,” given the differences in curricula and educational levels between Syrian universities.

Students stood in front of the Ministry of Higher Education holding banners expressing the crisis created by the ministry’s decision, demanding its cancellation or making it optional, as the exam includes seven intensive tests within two weeks, without taking into account either educational disparities or psychological pressure.

In Suwayda, classes were suspended on Wednesday, October 22, in all schools and institutes after the violations committed against the Druze community by the Interim Government.

On the official page of the Directorate of Education in Suwayda, a statement was published saying that this was due to “the current security circumstances,” after the security escalation by the Interim Government, which used drones to target civilian areas, some of them near schools.

 

Sectarian Video

On the other hand, a video clip circulated on one of the social media platforms showed jihadists making sectarian threats to head toward the “Jabal al-Ward” neighborhood in rural Damascus to expel its predominantly Alawite residents and seize their homes.

 

Omar Omsen… What’s the Story?

In the “Ghuraba Brigade” camp designated for French jihadists in the city of Harem in northwestern Idlib countryside, clashes broke out between the jihadists of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham—now known as the Syrian General Security Forces—and the mercenaries of the French battalion led by Omar Diaby, known as Omar Omsen.

This camp includes dozens of jihadists coming from France along with their families. The jihadist Omar Omsen established something resembling a state inside the camp, based on local Sharia courts, an internal police force, and independent punitive decisions.

After the camp was moved from its old location in the Blue Camp area to Al-Fardan Camp, an internal administration emerged that was not subject to oversight. Its practices included kidnapping, extortion, corporal punishment against civilians, and the imposition of taxes allegedly for “supporting jihad.”

Under international pressure, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham was forced to fight its former ally. Over the past few days, the camp witnessed violent clashes, and Uzbek and Chechen jihadists announced their readiness to intervene in defense of the French jihadists.

Because of that, the forces of Ahmad al-Shara, known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, were unable to storm the camp.

So, what will happen in the coming days between Abu Muhammad al-Jolani and his old friends? No one can guess.