By Ardo Juweid
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – More than 40 days have passed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and its government, yet the new Syrian administration has not regained control over restarting the operations of vital governmental institutions and economic activities in the city of Aleppo, northwestern Syria.
This delay has exacerbated the suffering of residents, who are demanding the urgent resumption of these services.
Government service institutions in Aleppo have been out of operation since Nov. 29, 2024, following the withdrawal of the government and security apparatus affiliated with the former Syrian regime. The new administration assumed power by forming a temporary caretaker government.

Adel Abu Dan, a 40-year-old resident of the Mashhad neighborhood in Aleppo, says he, like all other residents, is in desperate need of the services the city has lacked in recent years, especially civil registries.
Abu Dan tells North Press that his family’s official documents were damaged, and his national ID card was broken due to the way the regime forces dealt with eastern neighborhoods in the city.
He points out that the return of the government offices “would facilitate the restoration of rights and the legal resolution of inheritance issues related to properties, which would help people rebuild their lives and livelihoods in the current phase.”
Stalled operations
Raouf al-Ali, a lawyer in Aleppo, notes, “We have suffered greatly over the past years from corruption in all branches of government institutions. We now need governmental offices that can serve as a reliable support system for residents to organize their official documents, which have deteriorated during the war.”
He adds that the suspended directorates include Transportation, Land Registry, Civil Registry, Social Affairs, Social Insurance, Agriculture, Bridges, Sharia Courts.
Meanwhile, some directorates are operating partially, such as the Directorates of Water, Electricity, Health, and Municipalities, according to the lawyer.
Al-Ali calls on the caretaker government to expedite the reopening of the land registry office, describing it as crucial to residents’ lives and work. He believes it would significantly contribute to revitalizing the Syrian currency, which would positively impact all economic activities in the city and its countryside.
Unjustified closure
Wael Bustani, a 55-year-old trader from Aleppo, says that keeping government offices closed “is unjustified and only pushes the city backwards. Aleppo is a commercial bridge capable of linking stability with economic development, which aligns with the aspirations of the city’s traders.”
Bustani urges the caretaker government to abolish the platform specializing in external imports, activate the role of the central bank, and release their frozen funds within the platform for import purposes, based on the previous regime’s rules.

Speaking to North Press, he calls on the government to “rethink its traditional role and focus on providing services that support business development instead of prioritizing revenue collection.”
He concluded that reviving commercial and industrial activity requires more than “symbolic steps and futile meetings,” as he put it.