UN voices concern over evictions in Alawite neighborhood in Damascus
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The United Nations expressed on Friday concern over reports of forced evictions and abuses against civilians in the Alawite-majority Sumariyya neighborhood of Damascus, where residents face the threat of removal by government forces.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said that Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, is “closely following these developments, including the reports of threats of evictions and the reports of abuses against innocent civilians, including women and children.”
Dujarric quoted Pedersen as urging “restraint and refraining from precipitous or violent actions,” stressing that issues related to housing, land, property, and transitional justice must be addressed with care, and in line with international standards.
Evictions in Damascus evoke bitter memories for many Syrians, particularly in Rural Damascus, where thousands of families were displaced during the civil war. Entire communities in areas such as Eastern Ghouta, Daraya, and Qalamoun were forced to leave their homes during Assad regime offensives between 2012 and 2018, often under evacuation agreements that saw residents deported to northern Syria.
Many of those deported were resettled in the Kurdish-majority Afrin region in northwestern Syria, which had witnessed the displacement of its original Kurdish population following Turkey’s 2018 “Olive Branch” operation.
Rights groups have described these forced displacements as demographic engineering, warning that unresolved housing, land, and property issues continue to hinder reconciliation and durable solutions.