(Photo: Aid to the Church in Need)
The recent parliamentary elections in Syria, the first since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, have triggered a surge in violence in Aleppo, creating an atmosphere of fear among its residents, reports a local missionary.
Following Assad’s ousting late last year, the rise of a new government led by an al-Qaeda offshoot raised alarms about the potential impact on Syria’s historic Christian population.
Although the new regime has claimed intentions to include and protect Syria’s diverse minorities, incidents such as an anti-Alawite massacre and a church bombing have raised concerns.
The ambiguity remains whether these acts were government-backed or the consequence of a decade-long civil conflict that left the government struggling to control various armed factions dominating the country.
On October 6, Aleppo experienced heightened violence post-election. Father Hugo Alaniz, a missionary in Aleppo, described the chaos to Aid to the Church in Need, noting that the church had become a refuge for families seeking safety.
Father Alaniz recounted, “There were intense clashes until 3am, explosions were heard everywhere. Now the situation is somewhat calmer, but people are very afraid. We have been receiving families in the basement of our church, where we usually do community activities.”
He further noted that two missiles had landed near the church, one merely three hundred meters away.
“There was a lot of movement of people, internal displacements – the streets are now half empty. People are very afraid, we don’t know what is going to happen.”
The conflict is largely attributed to clashes between government forces and Kurdish groups, who are keen on maintaining their autonomous regions. Presently, Kurdish forces control two sectors within Aleppo.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
