3 April 2016: Syrian leaders of Alawite sect claim independence from President Assad's regime
On the 3rd of April, several leaders from the Alawite sect that forms the base for President Assad’s fighting forces have released a document in which they distance themselves from the regime. The leaders stress that they do not want to be associated with the crimes the regime has committed as it does not represent them. The Alawites present themselves as the third model of Islam, next to Sunnism and Shi'ism and claim to fight against sectarian strife. The leaders claim that they are not calling on Assad’s removal but that the future for Syria is as a secular, pluralist and democratic state that respects fundamental rights. It is as of yet unclear how much support the leaders have within the Alawite population, how this will affect Assad’s source for his military and local paramilitary militias and how this will influence his stance within the current peace talks that followed the cease fire deal of the 23th of February 2016.
