This is not the first time Rami Makhlouf has announced the formation of an armed militia [Social Media]
Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of ousted president Bashar al-Assad on Thursday announced the formation of an armed group he said was necessary to defend the country’s Alawite minority.
In a video statement, he described what he said was a “dangerous phase”, claiming that elements of the community are attempting to target it from within.
He alleged that there is a plan aimed at changing the demographic composition of Alawite-majority areas involving removing residents from their homes and confiscating property.
He asserted that the ultimate goal is to pressure members of the sect into changing their religious beliefs in exchange for easing restrictions on them or allowing them to recover their property.
The militia, he said, would provide a “deterrent against aggression.”
This is not the first time since the Assad regime fell in December 2024 that Makholuf has announced the formation of an armed militia.
Makhlouf announced similar plans last year, declaring that he would establish 15 “Elite Forces” military divisions in Syria’s coastal region, which he claimed were supported by hundreds of thousands of people.
Sectarian tensions in Syria’s coastal region remain high, more than a year after hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed by armed groups affiliated with the government after Assad supporters launched a violent uprising.
While the violence has died down and the government has began an investigation into the events, Alawite communities in Latakia and Homs have been continued to be targeted in sporadic incidents. Last November, Alawites protested in Latakia to demand decentralisation.
Makhlouf previously accused the head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council, Ghazal Ghazal, of acting irresponsibly by calling for anti-government protests. He urged people at the time to avoid confronting the authorities or escalating their demands.
Makhlouf was previously Syria’s most powerful businessman, controlling vast sectors of the economy through monopolies in telecoms, banking, and construction.
He became a symbol of regime corruption and was sanctioned by the US in 2008 for manipulating the judiciary and extracting wealth through coercion.
