Australia Condemns Syria Killings, Urges Non-Sectarian Transition

After thousands killed in Syria clashes, Australia calls for minority protection and end to bloodshed.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) speaks as he sits next to Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong during a meeting with Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape in Parliament House in Canberra on December 7, 2023. Australia signed a security deal with Papua New Guinea on December 7, bolstering ties to a key Pacific neighbour that has been courted persistently by China. (Photo by HILARY WARDHAUGH / AFP) Photo by HILARY WARDHAUGH/AFP via Getty Images

Following a week of intense clashes in Syria that have left over a thousand dead, the Australian government has strongly condemned the ongoing violence in the country’s coastal region.

“We are deeply concerned by U.N. reports that many civilians from the Alawite community were summarily executed and understand the community’s distress. Our thoughts are with them at this time,” said a joint statement issued by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

The statement underscored the need to protect all minority communities, including Alawites, Christians, Druze, and Kurds. The government called on all involved to ensure civilian safety, exercise restraint, and engage in dialogue to prevent further bloodshed.

“Australia is closely watching how Syria’s interim authorities handle the crisis, particularly their commitment to holding those responsible accountable,” it added.

The government reiterated its commitment to working with the U.N. and international partners to promote political reforms and inclusive governance that would bring peace and stability to Syria.

“Australia calls on Syria’s interim authorities to lead an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition process that fully respects the rights of all minorities and establishes a representative, non-sectarian government.”

Deadly Clashes in Coastal Syria

According to Reuters, several days of fierce fighting in Syria’s coastal region involved supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad and the country’s newly installed Islamist leadership.

A war monitoring organisation reported that more than 1,000 people had died in the violence.

Entire families, including women and children, were among the victims in Tartus and Latakia—areas home to many members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect—according to the U.N. human rights office. The killings were part of a series of sectarian attacks carried out by rival factions.

“The Security Council calls on the interim authorities to protect all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion,” a statement by the U.N. Council, seen by Reuters, reads. “Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these mass killings accountable.”

Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Sharaa, acknowledged that the targeting of Assad’s sect posed a challenge to his goal of uniting the nation. He promised to take action against those responsible, even if they were among his own allies.

UN Calls for End to Hostilities

Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has called for an immediate halt to hostilities and urged all parties to uphold international law in their treatment of civilians.

“What began as a plea for reform was met with staggering brutality, leading to one of the most harrowing conflicts of our time,” he said in a statement on March 14, marking the anniversary of Syria’s 2011 pro-democracy protests, which were brutally suppressed.

“Families continue to mourn the loss of loved ones, communities remain fractured, millions remain uprooted from their homes, and far too many persist in their search for the missing. The pain and sacrifices of the Syrian people must never be forgotten.”