After Ousting Assad, Syrian Rebels Rush to Impose Order in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria – After driving President Bashar al-Assad from power in the Syrian capital of Damascus, a mix of rebels and defectors from the Syrian military are scrambling to fill the power vacuum and impose their own brand of order on the city.
For weeks, the rebels, led by the Free Syrian Army, have been making gains against government forces, steadily pushing them back from the city center. Since Monday, they have overcome the last remaining resistance from loyalist troops, capturing key buildings, including government ministries and a television station, and are now pressing for control of the entire city.
In their wake, the rebels are finding that they must now deal with the messy business of governing. With many of the old order’s administrators either fleeing or surrendering, the rebels are beginning to take on roles of authority themselves, from major to minor.
The rebels are struggling to impose unity on their disparate forces, often vying between fiefdoms as they compete for influence. Many are calling for a new government to replace the old one, while others are pushing for the reinstatement of the old system, albeit under new management.
Meanwhile, on the streets, the city is beginning to function with a new set of rules and, as the Syrian capital slowly transitions from the old to the new, a new era is unfolding.