The security situation in Syria has been unstable and volatile in recent months. That is the conclusion reached by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the official report on the country.
The now-fallen coalition wanted to declare parts of Syria safe so that asylum seekers from those areas could be sent back. It is now up to the Ministry of Asylum and Migration to decide, based on the official report, whether it is safe enough to send Syrians back to their homeland.
Despite the fact that the cabinet is now caretaker, a decision must be made. The ministry has not made a decision on the asylum applications of Syrians since December. That arrangement lasted six months and is almost expiring.
The security situation in Syria varies greatly per week, per region and even per district, the officials write. Even after the fall of dictator Bashar Al Assad, armed conflicts are still raging in various places in the country. “Sectarian tensions flared up several times into fierce and large-scale violence.”
Nowhere in Syria has been truly stable and safe in recent months, according to a list of the country’s various regions. In the capital Damascus, for example, it was “relatively safe” after the change of power. But there was also violence here, such as revenge attacks against Alawites. That is the religious minority to which Al Assad belonged.
There are also still Israeli air strikes in the country. In the Daraa province, “violent incidents took place almost daily, including shootings, kidnappings and murders”.
Cabinet had to make official report public by court order
The officials drew up the report to map the situation in Syria between November last year and April this year. The cabinet reported last month that it would keep official reports secret from now on, but the court ruled on Friday that this is not allowed.