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Popular protests in Sweida and support for trapped residents in Aleppo
The residents of Shaba city in Sweida governorate organized a protest today in support of the besieged residents of Al-Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods in Aleppo, amid increasing popular movements rejecting policies that affect civilians in the region.
Protesters raised solidarity banners, including: "Salute to the resistance of the residents of Al-Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood," "Those who besiege their people are not a government but a gang," "You are besieging the homeland before the neighborhoods," and "Long live the resistance of honor.. Long live the resistance of SDF." This stand reflects the anger and rejection of the residents toward the siege imposed on the two neighborhoods, amidst a general state of frustration with policies that worsen civilians’ suffering.
In a related context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported protests across various areas of Raqqa, Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), Hasakah, Qamishli, and Amuda, coinciding with escalation in the Sheikh Maqsood and Al-Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods in Aleppo following the recent escalation on October 6. Dozens of residents took to the streets, protesting the continued closure of roads by the transitional government forces and the blockade of predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods under the pretext of a bomb explosion. Tensions are rising, with almost complete movement disruption between the neighborhoods, and all entrances and exits closed amid deteriorating humanitarian and living conditions.
In Aleppo, Sheikh Maqsood and Al-Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods are under the control of forces from the Self-Administration, while transitional government forces control the entrances and exits, further complicating the on-ground and humanitarian situation.
