A war also involves a war of words - a propaganda battle. SOYMB relies on sources that are frequently biased in favour of one side or the other and trying to determine accuracy is difficult. So it is with that caveat we repost an article on Syria from an ex-rebel who tries to relay the human cost of the civil war and reveals the weakness of divisions in peoples' wills.
Mohammed was a commander in the Free Syria Army-linked Farouk Brigade. The Farouk Brigade was among the first to be formed when the uprising became an armed rebellion in mid-2011.
Today, the brigade exists only in name. The so-called moderate fighting forces have been outnumbered and outgunned by brigades who operate under the "Islamic Front" banner.
He is a disappointed man. He is disappointed with the opposition. He is disappointed by the men who have used power to further their own interests. He is disappointed with those who have become corrupt. He is disappointed with the people of Syria.
"This is not a revolution in the true sense of the word," he says. “Not all segments of the population rose up against the state. The intellectuals who are needed in any revolution to succeed didn't participate."
However, he doesn't blame them.
"Look at where we are today," he says. "We have lost our livelihoods, our savings, our future. We work in any job just to make some money because there is no other way to survive. And we are lucky if we find work."
Mohammed does blame the political opposition in exile, the Syrian National Coalition.
"Up until now, they haven't been able to lay the foundations for a state," he says. "They can't provide jobs for people. They don't offer anything in opposition held territories. And that is why people are still tied to the regime and rely on it." He goes on “...many of those people who spontaneously took up arms to defend the people against the regime are long gone. Those men had no other interest apart from defending themselves and the people."
In March 2011 it was about preserving their dignity and demanding freedom, justice and democracy. Three years later and after more than 150,000 deaths, the government is promising them that. Presidential elections are scheduled for June 3. And for the first time in over four decades, multiple candidates will be allowed to contest in the poll. In the past, it was a referendum. Syrians were given the choice to approve or oppose parliament's nomination of President Bashar al-Assad, and before him, his father Hafez al-Assad.
Assad's opponents say he will win no matter how many candidates run and the vote will be a "joke".
People are left with little choices. They are either forced to surrender because of siege and starvation tactics or simply because financially they have no other way of surviving. According to UN agencies, more than 75 percent of aid distribution across the country occurs in government-controlled areas. In rebel-controlled regions, people receive little help and are under constant bombardment.
"What the regime is doing now is trying to turn the people against the rebels. It wants the people to surrender. It wants to make it difficult for them to survive. It wants to expose the opposition's weaknesses whether on the battlefield or politically," Mohammed explained.
"Didn't they revolt?" a journalist asked him.
"No, it was the poor. Those who had nothing to lose. Those who had comfortable lives were hesitant. They didn't want to take the risk. And now that the government has regained the upper hand, they will be even more hesitant."
From Al Jazeera
Mohammed was a commander in the Free Syria Army-linked Farouk Brigade. The Farouk Brigade was among the first to be formed when the uprising became an armed rebellion in mid-2011.
Today, the brigade exists only in name. The so-called moderate fighting forces have been outnumbered and outgunned by brigades who operate under the "Islamic Front" banner.
He is a disappointed man. He is disappointed with the opposition. He is disappointed by the men who have used power to further their own interests. He is disappointed with those who have become corrupt. He is disappointed with the people of Syria.
"This is not a revolution in the true sense of the word," he says. “Not all segments of the population rose up against the state. The intellectuals who are needed in any revolution to succeed didn't participate."
However, he doesn't blame them.
"Look at where we are today," he says. "We have lost our livelihoods, our savings, our future. We work in any job just to make some money because there is no other way to survive. And we are lucky if we find work."
Mohammed does blame the political opposition in exile, the Syrian National Coalition.
"Up until now, they haven't been able to lay the foundations for a state," he says. "They can't provide jobs for people. They don't offer anything in opposition held territories. And that is why people are still tied to the regime and rely on it." He goes on “...many of those people who spontaneously took up arms to defend the people against the regime are long gone. Those men had no other interest apart from defending themselves and the people."
In March 2011 it was about preserving their dignity and demanding freedom, justice and democracy. Three years later and after more than 150,000 deaths, the government is promising them that. Presidential elections are scheduled for June 3. And for the first time in over four decades, multiple candidates will be allowed to contest in the poll. In the past, it was a referendum. Syrians were given the choice to approve or oppose parliament's nomination of President Bashar al-Assad, and before him, his father Hafez al-Assad.
Assad's opponents say he will win no matter how many candidates run and the vote will be a "joke".
People are left with little choices. They are either forced to surrender because of siege and starvation tactics or simply because financially they have no other way of surviving. According to UN agencies, more than 75 percent of aid distribution across the country occurs in government-controlled areas. In rebel-controlled regions, people receive little help and are under constant bombardment.
"What the regime is doing now is trying to turn the people against the rebels. It wants the people to surrender. It wants to make it difficult for them to survive. It wants to expose the opposition's weaknesses whether on the battlefield or politically," Mohammed explained.
"Didn't they revolt?" a journalist asked him.
"No, it was the poor. Those who had nothing to lose. Those who had comfortable lives were hesitant. They didn't want to take the risk. And now that the government has regained the upper hand, they will be even more hesitant."
From Al Jazeera
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