Absent security, lack of accountability in al-Ghab Plain in Hama Countryside

The roads connecting villages of al-Ghab Plain in northern and western Hama countryside, such as Tal al-Tatin, Tal al-Siyah, Tal al-Ghar, Hawrat, Amourin, al-Latama, and others have come to resemble illegal border crossings between states, according to residents, with neither security nor safety. These roads witness near-daily incidents of theft and looting targeting employees heading to work, farmers on their way to their fields, and those returning from them.

The area has seen a surge in theft and armed robbery involving motorcycles, mobile phones, livestock, agricultural crops, and cash.

Attacks in the villages of al-Ghab Plain have escalated from simple thefts to armed robberies using bladed weapons and firearms. In a recent incident in one of the villages, armed thieves carrying pistols and knives stormed a cattle barn at night, threatened its owner at gunpoint, and fled. The agency is withholding the name of the village and the farm owner to ensure their safety.

Farmers suffer repeated theft of their livestock, and many now fear even going to inspect their agricultural lands.

In statements reflecting the depth of anger and helplessness, residents ask: “How long will our roads remain controlled by thieves and robbers? How long will our livelihoods stay at the mercy of these mercenaries?”

This outcry embodies the suffering of a community that relies primarily on agriculture and livestock breeding as its sole source of income, while these organized thefts threaten the foundations of its fragile economy.

Residents of the area most of whom belong to Alawite community are living under harsh humanitarian conditions exacerbated by recent floods that damaged their lands and destroyed already fragile infrastructure, leaving them more vulnerable and less able to protect themselves and their property.

Despite repeated reports, residents complain of the absence of real accountability for criminals, which encourages the continuation of crimes and emboldens gangs. In similar cases in neighboring areas, complaints have been reported of a “near-total paralysis” in police work, where some police stations allegedly limited their role to collecting money in exchange for filing nominal reports on theft incidents, without any genuine pursuit of perpetrators.

The Internal Security Directorate affiliated with the Interim Government in al-Ghab Plain area had announced the deployment of security patrols and the establishment of checkpoints “to control the security situation and protect property.” However, residents believe these measures are insufficient to confront the spread of the phenomenon, stressing that the absence of serious judicial follow-up opens the door to continued impunity.

At the same time, local voices are calling for proactive investigations, the pursuit of criminal networks, and their serious referral to justice, in order to restore a minimum level of reassurance that would allow residents to return to their lives and work.

Legal experts believe that the villages of al-Ghab Plain, exhausted by years of war and natural disasters are facing a new existential challenge represented by the collapse of local security. Meanwhile, the pressing question raised by residents remains: will their lives continue in this cycle of fear and loss of basic means of living, or will the relevant authorities act to enforce the law and end the state of impunity that threatens the stability of the entire region?

ANHA