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Syria/Alawites: Paris proposed EU sanctions against those responsible for abuses

by AI | 17.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The French Foreign Minister announced that he has proposed to Brussels the imposition of European sanctions against those responsible for the abuses against civilians on the Alawite coast in Syria.

A member of the security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government guards a checkpoint previously held by supporters of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in the town of Hmeimim, in the coastal province of Latakia, on March 11, 2025. (Photo: OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Paris – “I (…) proposed that sanctions be imposed against those responsible for the abuses against civilians on the Alawite coast in Syria,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in a message posted on X on Monday, without providing further details.

Tensions began on March 6 in a predominantly Alawite village in the Latakia province of Syria after the arrest of a wanted person by security forces.

The situation quickly escalated into clashes when armed men from the Alawite Muslim minority, whom the authorities described as loyal to Bashar al-Assad, opened fire on several security forces positions.

Civilians from the Alawite community, to which Assad belonged, were then targeted in retaliation.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least 1,476 civilians, the vast majority of whom were Alawites, were killed.

The EU plans to provide nearly 2.5 billion euros in international aid to Syria this year and next year. (March 17, 2025)