ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations on Monday urged an immediate halt to the “bloodshed” in western Syria, calling for accountability for those responsible for the violations. “The bloodshed in Syria must stop immediately,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a presser, urging that “perpetrators of violations must be held to account.” Recent violence erupted in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria after loyalists of toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad on Thursday launched attacks against security forces affiliated with the new Syrian leadership. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday reported that around 1,500 people - mostly civilians - have been killed in the western Syria violence. At least 973 civilians, many of whom are from the Alawite community - which Assad belongs to - are among the dead, the UK-based war monitor reporte. The majority of these casualties were caused by government or government-affiliated forces. Dujarric cited Guterres as urging “all parties to protect civilians” and “to stop inflammatory rhetoric and actions as Syria contends” to reshape its future “after 14 years of conflict” since the 2011 unrest, and “over five decades of authoritarian rule” by the Assad family. The UN Secretary-General also stressed “the importance and the urgency of inclusive and transparent transitional justice, and a reconciliation process” to ensure “sustainable peace in Syria.” The violence in west Syria has drawn widespread condemnation from western and regional countries in recent days. For their part, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have expressed support for Syria’s new authorities amid the unrest. Meanwhile, Syria’s defense ministry on Monday reported that its forces had pushed the “remnants of the former regime” out of central coastal provinces such as Latakia and Tartous, declaring victory in their military operations. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had a day prior ordered the establishment of an "independent national committee" to investigate the deadly clashes in the western region. He also pledged to form another high-level committee to “preserve civil peace” and to engage with the people of the coastal areas in the aftermath of the recent bloodshed.
