Security Breakdown in Western Hama Countryside… Rising Looting Incidents Raise Concerns Among Residents

Villages with an Alawite majority in the western countryside of Hama are witnessing a continuous state of security breakdown, amid increasing incidents of looting, robbery, and theft targeting cars, motorcycles, and commercial shops, leaving residents in a constant state of fear and directly affecting their daily lives.

According to local sources, the attackers—whose affiliation remains unclear, whether they belong to armed factions or armed civilian groups—carry out their operations using firearms in a rapid and violent manner, repeatedly targeting civilians’ property.

This situation has prompted many residents to limit their movements, especially at night, while some shops have closed their doors early or reduced working hours to avoid being targeted by looters. Residents confirm that this has negatively impacted the economic activity in the villages, leading to a noticeable decline in commercial movement.

The locals also expressed their frustration over the lack of effective intervention by governmental authorities and controlling factions, noting that complaints they submitted have not resulted in any practical measures to curb these violations. Some residents fear that this security negligence could lead to a further escalation of violence in the area.

Local sources confirmed that the Alawite-majority villages are increasingly feeling isolated and marginalized, as the risks threatening civilians and their livelihoods grow in the absence of any effective security presence.

This situation reflects the worsening security crisis in western Hama countryside and highlights the urgent need for action to curb violations and protect civilians from the escalating wave of violence.

In this context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renewed its call to relevant authorities, the government, and controlling factions to take swift and effective measures to ensure the protection of civilians, secure their property, and hold perpetrators accountable, contributing to the restoration of a basic level of security and stability in the area.