SOHR: Over 5,500 Civilians Killed in Syria in Five Months Following Assad's Fall

AFP

A fighter shooting at an old poster of Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported a sharp rise in violence in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December last year, with 5,514 civilians killed in just five months, many of them in retaliatory attacks and purges.

According to the UK-based monitoring group, 402 women and 260 children were killed and there were 2,092 cases of field executions and killings, which were linked to cleansing operations and sectarian differences, with March marking the deadliest month—1,726 civilians were reportedly killed, primarily along Syria’s western coastal regions.

Furthermore, the SOHR noted a significant rise in sectarian violence, particularly targeting Syria’s Alawite and Druze communities. These minority groups, long viewed as aligned with the former regime, have faced a wave of retaliatory attacks since Assad’s ouster.

The SOHR also highlighted the security vacuum that has developed in Syria since the overthrow of Assad, where citizens are still in risk due to rival groups, retaliation efforts, and regional crises.

Human rights organisations have warned that the unresolved violence could send Syria into a new period of civil division and have appealed for immediate international attention to stop further escalation.



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