Syrian Interim Government

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Syrian Interim Government
الحكومة السورية المؤقتة
Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg
Flag
Syrian Interim Government coat of arms.svg
Emblem
Coat of arms
Overview
EstablishedMarch 18, 2013;11 years ago (2013-03-18)
StateAreas under Turkish occupation in Syria
Leader Abdurrahman Mustafa
Appointed by President of the Syrian National Coalition
Main organCabinet
Ministries7
Responsible to Syrian National Coalition
Headquarters Azaz, Syria [1]
Website www.syriaig.net

The Syrian Interim Government (SIG) is an alternative government in Syria, formed by the umbrella opposition group, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (Syrian National Coalition, SNC) during the Syrian Civil War. The Syrian Interim Government constitutes a separate administration in Turkish-controlled territories in Northern Syria and has partial authority there. The interim government's headquarters in Syria are located in the city of Azaz in Aleppo Governorate. [2] [3] While responsible to the Syrian National Coalition, the SIG is closely aligned with Turkey. The SIG's armed forces are the Syrian National Army.

Contents

Since the fall of the Assad regime, the SIG has been coexisting with the Syrian transitional government headed in Damascus by Mohammed al-Bashir, though the SNC has expressed its support for the transitional government and called for the formation of a government that would be "inclusive of everyone". [4]

History

At a conference held in Istanbul on 19 March 2013, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) elected Ghassan Hitto as prime minister of a Syrian interim government. Hitto announced that a technical government would be formed led by 10 to 12 ministers, with the minister of defence to be chosen by the Free Syrian Army. [5] At first, the SIG was "based in exile and lack[ed] an organizational base inside Syria." [6] It was intended that the new ministries would not be placed in a single location but distributed in regions under the control of the Syrian opposition. [7]

A Christian, a Kurd and a woman were part of the first cabinet; Ahmad Ramadan of the SNC stated that the cabinet was appointed on a meritocratic basis. [8] The Assyrian component of the National Coalition said that they were not given any attention in the selection of the cabinet. [8] Its General Assembly has an administrative function. [9] The first interim cabinet was dissolved in July 2014. [10] A new cabinet was formed in October 2014.

The SIG has been the primary civilian authority throughout most of Syria's opposition-held areas. Its system of administrative local councils operate services such as schools and hospitals in these areas. [11] In December 2015, the SIG founded the Free Aleppo University (FAU), as an alternative to government-run universities; an estimated 7,000 students were enrolled in FAU in early 2018, with campuses in opposition-held territory across five provinces. In January 2018, the SIG moved the University's administration from Idlib to the west Aleppo town of Bashqateen. [12] In late September 2016, the Syrian interim government minister for local administration was among a dozen people killed by an ISIL suicide bomber in the southern city of Inkhil. [13] [14]

The interim government was based in Turkey and has received direct funding from the United States. [15] In January 2015, the Syrian interim government received US$6 million from the United States, the first funding of this kind. The funds were to be used for reconstruction efforts and the strengthening of local government in opposition-held parts of Syria such as northern Aleppo and northwestern Idlib, with the interim government planning to expand into northern Latakia and northern Hama in the following months. [15] By August 2017, the Syrian interim government stopped paying salaries to workers, and work within the interim government became voluntary work. [16] As the Turkish occupation of northern Syria grew from 2016, the SIG moved into the Turkish-controlled territories and began to exert partial authority there, including providing documents to Syrian citizens. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

By late 2017, the SIG presided over 12 provincial councils and over 400 elected local councils. It held elections across Idlib Governorate in 2017. It also operates a major border crossing between Syria and Turkey, which generates an estimated $1 million revenue each month. [11] In opposition areas outside the Turkish-occupied ones, the SIG has been in conflict with the Islamist Syrian Salvation Government for control since September 2017.

On 30 December 2017, at least 30 factions operating under the banner of the Syrian Interim Government merged in a unified armed group after four months of preparations. Jawad Abu Hatab, the SIG's Prime Minister and Defence Minister, announced the formation of the Syrian National Army (SNA) after meeting with rebel commanders in the town of Azaz. The newly formed body claimed to have 22,000 fighters, many of them trained and equipped by Turkey. [22] The National Front for Liberation is also aligned to the Syrian Interim Government, and eventually became a subgroup of the SNA.

In 2023, Syria Direct reported that while the Syrian National Coalition was officially a higher authority than the SIG, it was the Turkish-backed SIG that actually wielded power over it, as a sign that the SNC was now operating essentially under Turkish control. [23] According to another report by Syria Direct, as of 2023 the SIG was still wholly dependent on Turkish support in the areas that it controlled nominally. Each Syrian local council in those areas is tied to a corresponding Turkish province. The councils' coordinators has to report to the Turkish governor who must be consulted before making decisions on strategic matters. Syrian councils are freely elected but, once elected, must work with Turkish governors to implement policies. [24] In July 2024, riots erupted in SIG-held areas to protest Turkish policies and the Turkey's attempts to normalize relations with the Assad regime.

In late 2024, the Syrian National Army participated in the surprise offensives that led to the fall of the Assad regime, while also capturing territories from the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. [25]

Prime ministers

No.PortraitNameTook officeLeft officePolitical partyNote(s)
— Ghassan Hitto (cropped).jpg Ghassan Hitto
Acting Prime Minister		18 March 201314 September 2013 Independent
Failed to form a government;
resigned on 8 July [26] .
1 Syrian Interim Government coat of arms.svg Ahmad Tu'mah 14 September 201322 July 2014 [10] Independent
—
(1) Syrian Interim Government coat of arms.svg Ahmad Tu'mah 14 October 2014 [27] 17 May 2016 Independent
Second term.
2 Jawad Abu Hatab.png Jawad Abu Hatab 17 May 201610 March 2019 [28] Independent
—
3 Abdurrahman Mustafa STA (cropped).jpg Abdurrahman Mustafa 30 June 2019 [29] Incumbent Syrian Turkmen Assembly
—

List of ministers

IncumbentOfficeSinceUntil
Akram TomehVice Prime Minister12 July 2016Incumbent
Salim Idris Minister of Defense 1 September 2019Incumbent
Jawad Abu Hatab Minister of the Interior12 July 2016Incumbent
Abdel Moneim AlhalabiMinister of Finance12 July 2016Incumbent
Mohammed Firas AljundiMinister of Health12 July 2016Incumbent
Abdul Aziz Aldughem [12] Minister of Higher Education12 July 2016Incumbent
Imad AlbarqMinister of Education12 July 2016Incumbent
Yaaqoub AlammarMinister of Local Administration12 July 2016Incumbent
Jamal KallashMinister of Agriculture12 July 2016Incumbent
Abdullah RazzoukMinister of Services12 July 2016Incumbent

See also

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References

  1. ↑ SyriaSource by Hosam al-Jablawi Has the International Community Succeeded in Creating a Safe Zone in Syria After Years of War? Archived 23 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine atlanticcouncil.org 17 April 2017
  2. ↑ Lister, Charles (31 October 2017). "Turkey's Idlib incursion and the HTS question: Understanding the long game in Syria". War on the Rocks. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Russia and Turkey Have Agreed to Create 'Safe Zones' in Syria, But Rebels Are Unimpressed". Time. Associated Press. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  4. ↑ "Syrian coalition calls for 'comprehensive, non-sectarian' transitional government". Middle East Monitor . 18 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "Syrian rebels to choose interim defence minister". World Bulletin. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  6. ↑ Sayigh, Yezid (3 April 2013). "The Syria's opposition 's leadership problem". Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "New ministries will not be in single location- Syrian opposition". World Bulletin. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Syrian opposition government begins work as Kurds announce self-rule". Asharq Al-Awsat. 15 November 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "Syrian National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces - General Body". 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Syrian opposition coalition dissolves interim government". Reuters. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. 1 2 "HTS-backed civil authority moves against rivals in latest power grab in northwest Syria". Syria Direct. 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  12. 1 2 "A power struggle over education emerges between rival opposition governments in Idlib province". Syria Direct. 10 January 2018. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  13. ↑ At least 13 persons including the minister of “interim government” killed in explosion at police station in Inkhel Archived 15 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine SOHR, 22 September 2016
  14. ↑ ISIS suicide attack rocks rebel HQ in southern Syria Archived 7 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine Al Masdar, 22 September 2016
  15. 1 2 "US gives $6 million to Syria opposition government". Agence France-Presse. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Syrian interim government stopped paying salaries and volunteering work". Micro Syria. 8 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  17. ↑ "Safe zone 'crucial for Turkmen in Syria'". aa.com.tr. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  18. ↑ "Has the International Community Succeeded in Creating a Safe Zone in Syria After Years of War?". 17 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  19. ↑ Macaron, Joe. "Trump's 'real estate' approach to safe zones in Syria". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  20. ↑ "Turkey's troops cross over into Syria's Afrin". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  21. ↑ "Suriye'de güvenli bölge planları ne kadar gerçekçi? | DW | 28.09.2019". Deutsche Welle . Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  22. ↑ "30 rebel groups merge under Interim Govt's banner, form 'The National Army'". Zaman al-Wasl. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  23. ↑ "Hadi al-Bahra: President of a dead institution?". 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  24. ↑ Walid Al Nofal (18 March 2023). "12 years on, 'revolution' service institutions under Turkish authority" . Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  25. ↑ "The Syrian National Army: Rebels, thugs or Turkish proxies?". 7 December 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  26. ↑ "Haitham al-Maleh Nominated as Syria's Envoy to the Arab". The Syrian Observer. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  27. ↑ "Al-Khodr re-elected PM of Syrian interim government". KUNA. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  28. ↑ al-Khateb, Khaled (15 March 2019). "Is this the end of the Syrian Interim Government?". Al-Monitor . Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  29. ↑ "Syrian Coalitions' General Assembly Elects New Presidential & Political Bodies & New SIG Head". National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. 30 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
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