Syrian Interim Government
| Syrian Interim Government | |
|---|---|
| الحكومة السورية المؤقتة | |
 Emblem  Flag | |
| Overview | |
| Established | March 18, 2013 |
| State | Syria(Syrian opposition) |
| Leader | Abdurrahman Mustafa |
| Appointed by | President of the Syrian Coalition |
| Main organ | Cabinet |
| Ministries | 7 |
| Responsible to | Syrian Coalition |
| Headquarters | Azaz,Syria[1] |
|
|---|
TheSyrian Interim Government(SIG) is an alternative government inSyria,formed by the umbrella opposition group, theNational Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.The interim government indirectly controls some areas of the country and claims to be the sole legitimate government on behalf of theSyrian oppositionin defiance of theCouncil of Ministersof theSyrian Arab Republic.The interim government's headquarters in Syria are located in the city ofAzazinAleppo Governorate.[2][3]
History[edit]
At a conference held in Istanbul on 19 March 2013, theSyrian National Coalition(SNC) electedGhassan Hittoas prime minister of a Syrianinterim government.Hitto announced that atechnical governmentwould be formed led by 10 to 12 ministers, with theminister of defenceto be chosen by theFree Syrian Army.[4]At first, the SIG was "based in exile and lack[ed] an organizational base inside Syria."[5]It was intended that the new ministries would not be placed in a single location but distributed in regions under the control of theSyrian opposition.[6]
A Christian, a Kurd and a woman were part of the first cabinet;Ahmad Ramadanof the SNC stated that the cabinet was appointed on ameritocraticbasis.[7]TheAssyriancomponent of the National Coalition said that they were not given any attention in the selection of the cabinet.[7]Its General Assembly has an administrative function.[8]The first interim cabinet was dissolved in July 2014.[9]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.[10]In December 2015, the SIG founded theFree 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 fromIdlibto the west Aleppo town ofBashqateen.[11]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 ofInkhil.[12][13]
The interim government was based in Turkey and has received direct funding from the United States.[14]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.[14]By August 2017, the Syrian interim government stopped paying salaries to workers, and work within the interim government becamevoluntary work.[15]As theTurkish occupation of northern Syriagrew from 2016, the SIG moved into the Turkish-controlled territories and began to exert partial authority there, including providing documents to Syrian citizens.[16][17][18][19][20]
By late 2017, the SIG presided over 12 provincial councils and over 400 elected local councils. It held elections acrossIdlib Governoratein 2017. It also operates a major border crossing between Syria and Turkey, which generates an estimated $1 million revenue each month.[10]In opposition areas outside the Turkish-occupied ones, the SIG has been in conflict with the IslamistSyrian Salvation Governmentfor 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 theSyrian 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.[21]TheNational Front for Liberationis also aligned to the Syrian Interim Government, and eventually became a subgroup of the SNA.
Prime ministers[edit]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party | Note(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 
|
Ghassan Hitto Acting Prime Minister |
18 March 2013 | 14 September 2013 | Independent | Failed to form a government;
resigned on 8 July. | |
| 1 |
|
Ahmad Tu'mah | 14 September 2013 | 22 July 2014[9] | Independent | —
| |
| (1) |
|
Ahmad Tu'mah | 14 October 2014[22] | 17 May 2016 | Independent | Second term.
| |
| 2 | 
|
Jawad Abu Hatab | 17 May 2016 | 10 March 2019[23] | Independent | —
| |
| 3 | 
|
Abdurrahman Mustafa | 30 June 2019[24] | Incumbent | Syrian National Council | —
| |
List of ministers[edit]
| Incumbent | Office | Since | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akram Tomeh | Vice Prime Minister | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Salim Idris | Minister of Defense | 1 September 2019 | Incumbent |
| Jawad Abu Hatab | Minister of the Interior | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Abdel Moneim Alhalabi | Minister of Finance | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Mohammed Firas Aljundi | Minister of Health | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Abdul Aziz Aldughem[11] | Minister of Higher Education | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Imad Albarq | Minister of Education | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Yaaqoub Alammar | Minister of Local Administration | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Jamal Kallash | Minister of Agriculture | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
| Abdullah Razzouk | Minister of Services | 12 July 2016 | Incumbent |
Population centers[edit]
This list includes some of the largest cities and towns under the Syrian Interim Government.
| English Name | ArabicName | KurdishName | TurkishName |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azaz | أعزاز | – | Azez |
| Afrin | عفرين | Efrîn | Afrin |
| Jarabulus | جرابلس | Cerablûs | Cerablus |
| Akhtarin | أخترين | – | Aktarin |
| Tell Abyad | تل أبيض | Girê Spî | Tellebyad |
| al-Bab | الباب | – | El-Bab |
| Ras al-Ayn | رأس العين | Serê Kaniyê | Resulayn |
| Sawran | صوران | – | Soran |
| Bizaah | بزاعة | – | Bizza |
| Qabasin | قباسين | Qebasîn | Başköy |
| Mare' | مارع | – | Mare |
See also[edit]
- Politics of Syria
- Syrian Civil War
- Syrian Salvation Government
- Foreign relations of the Syrian Opposition
- International recognition of the Syrian National Council
References[edit]
- ^SyriaSource by Hosam al-JablawiHas the International Community Succeeded in Creating a Safe Zone in Syria After Years of War?atlanticcouncil.org 17 April 2017
- ^Lister, Charles (31 October 2017)."Turkey's Idlib incursion and the HTS question: Understanding the long game in Syria".War on the Rocks.Retrieved3 November2017.
- ^"Russia and Turkey Have Agreed to Create 'Safe Zones' in Syria, But Rebels Are Unimpressed".Time.3 May 2017.Retrieved3 November2017.
{{cite magazine}}:Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - ^"Syrian rebels to choose interim defence minister".World Bulletin. 29 March 2013.Retrieved15 November2013.
- ^Sayigh, Yezid (3 April 2013)."The Syria's opposition 's leadership problem".Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.Retrieved4 April2013.
- ^"New ministries will not be in single location- Syrian opposition".World Bulletin. 29 March 2013.Retrieved15 November2013.
- ^ab"Syrian opposition government begins work as Kurds announce self-rule".Asharq Al-Awsat.15 November 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 13 November 2013.Retrieved15 November2013.
- ^"Syrian National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces - General Body".19 December 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2013.Retrieved19 December2013.
- ^ab"Syrian opposition coalition dissolves interim government".Reuters.22 July 2014.Retrieved31 July2014.
- ^ab"HTS-backed civil authority moves against rivals in latest power grab in northwest Syria".Syria Direct.13 December 2017.Retrieved14 November2018.
- ^ab"A power struggle over education emerges between rival opposition governments in Idlib province".Syria Direct.10 January 2018.Retrieved14 November2018.
- ^At least 13 persons including the minister of “interim government” killed in explosion at police station in InkhelSOHR, 22 September 2016
- ^ISIS suicide attack rocks rebel HQ in southern SyriaArchived7 April 2020 at theWayback MachineAl Masdar, 22 September 2016
- ^ab"US gives $6 million to Syria opposition government".Agence France-Presse. 22 January 2015.Retrieved22 January2015.
- ^"The Syrian interim government stopped paying salaries and volunteering work".Micro Syria.8 August 2017.
- ^"Safe zone 'crucial for Turkmen in Syria'".aa.com.tr.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2019.Retrieved10 October2019.
- ^"Has the International Community Succeeded in Creating a Safe Zone in Syria After Years of War?".17 April 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2019.Retrieved10 October2019.
- ^Macaron, Joe."Trump's 'real estate' approach to safe zones in Syria".aljazeera.com.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2019.Retrieved12 April2018.
- ^"Turkey's troops cross over into Syria's Afrin".aljazeera.com.Archivedfrom the original on 28 April 2019.Retrieved12 April2018.
- ^"Suriye'de güvenli bölge planları ne kadar gerçekçi? | DW | 28.09.2019".Deutsche Welle.Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2019.Retrieved7 November2019.
- ^"30 rebel groups merge under Interim Govt's banner, form 'The National Army'".Zaman al-Wasl.31 December 2017.
- ^"Al-Khodr re-elected PM of Syrian interim government".KUNA. 14 October 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 20 October 2014.Retrieved21 October2014.
- ^al-Khateb, Khaled (15 March 2019)."Is this the end of the Syrian Interim Government?".Al-Monitor.Retrieved15 March2019.
- ^"Syrian Coalitions' General Assembly Elects New Presidential & Political Bodies & New SIG Head".National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. 30 June 2019.Retrieved29 September2019.
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