13 years of war in Syria: Thousands demonstrate against Assad. Contrary to fears, the first Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem are peaceful

Thousands of people in northwestern Syria demonstrated against the government of ruler Bashar Al-Assad on the anniversary of the outbreak of war in the country. About 5,000 protesters gathered in Idlib on Friday. They demanded freedom for Syria and the overthrow of the Assad regime.

“We are here to show this corrupt regime that we are still here and that we will continue until we die,” one of the participants told the German news agency. Another protester said: “The world has left us alone. We are here to show that we will continue until we overthrow the tyrant Al-Assad.”

There were also demonstrations in other cities. In Asas, in the north of the country, thousands of people gathered to protest after Friday prayers. They demanded the implementation of the previous goals of the revolution, one of the dpa participants said. This includes the overthrow of the Syrian ‘regime’ and the establishment of a democratic state. They also demanded clarification on the fate of many prisoners in government prisons.

The conflict in Syria began in mid-March 2011 with protests against the government of President Bashar Al-Assad. Security forces responded with force. Everything eventually resulted in a civil war with international participation.

Today the country is divided. With the help of his allies Russia, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, Assad now once again controls two-thirds of the country. The northwest is under the control of opposition forces. There is no political solution to the conflict in sight. According to United Nations estimates, more than 300,000 people have died in the war so far. (sda/dpa)