UN’s Syria envoy expresses ‘cautious hope’ after al-Assad’s fall

Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, has expressed “cautious hope” after opposition fighters declared the rule of President Bashar al-Assad had come to an end.

Opposition forces on Sunday said they had “liberated” the capital, Damascus, in a fast-moving offensive that saw them seize control of several cities.

While al-Assad’s whereabouts remain unknown, opposition fighters said his prime minister, Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali, would supervise state institutions until they were handed over.

In a statement later on Sunday, Pedersen described the long-running war in Syria as a “dark chapter” that “has left deep scars”, adding: “Today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one – one of peace, reconciliation, dignity and inclusion for all Syrians.”

“Today marks a watershed moment in Syria’s history – a nation that has endured nearly 14 years of relentless suffering and unspeakable loss,” he said, extending his “deepest solidarity to all who have borne the weight of death, destruction, detention and untold human rights violations”.

Al-Assad’s reported flight from Damascus comes less than two weeks after armed opposition groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched an offensive challenging more than five decades of domination by the al-Assad family.

Al-Assad had ruled Syria since 2000, when he inherited power from his father.