Seizure of goods, random arrests anger former supporters of Free Syrian Army
“They act as if we exist to serve them,” the 36-year-old bank teller carped. “They brought these hardships on us and now they want us to suffer while they take the choice goods.”
As the Syrian revolution inches toward the end of drawing the curtain on its second year, civilians are not applauding the FSA’s performance. From commandeering precious supplies to abuses against government forces, the rebels have done much to alienate a population that was ready to turn the page after 41 years of authoritarian rule.
When the FSA entered
Hubni and others are angry that the FSA seizes whatever it wants in the name of the revolution. Thugs from villages outside
At the top of most Syrians’ list of grievances is the FSA’s control of grain silos. Some units have hoarded grain and deliberately delayed delivering it to bakeries in order to drive up prices and make a quick profit. Such shortages cause long delays at bakeries throughout
Though pilfering goods frustrates the population it is the FSA’s arbitrary arrests and stops that have residents’ blood boiling. Fighters detain civilians at checkpoints on the slightest suspicions. On a recent night drive with an FSA contingent, a reporter witnessed firsthand how such capricious stops are squandering the group’s societal support. The fighters chased a car through the dark streets merely because the driver’s facial expressions did not suit them. After halting the suspicious vehicle and forcing its occupants out for a pat down, the fighters finally allowed the harmless civilians to drive off.
Battlefield abuses have equally turned Syrians against the FSA. Civilians whisper stories about extrajudicial killings and torture. “My cousin is in the army,” a man who only gave his name as
It is not just the FSA’s battlefield tactics that have Syrians irate, but who they recruit to fight there. Teenagers barely old enough to sprout stubble have begun popping up at the front carrying Kalashnikov rifles and emulating the older fighters by smoking cheap cigarettes with fancy French names. “The other day a kid from the quarter came back all dirty with camouflage fatigues,” Musa Salman said. “Last year he was riding his bicycle with all the other youths. What are they doing to our children?” Such recruitment is happening all across the country. In an April 2012 report [4] to the United Nations Security Council, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon noted the “United Nations has received some credible allegations of the recruitment and use of children by armed opposition, including the FSA and other armed groups.”
FSA abuses such as these are slowly turning the Syrians against the rebels they once eagerly welcomed as their saviors. And as they do, civilians are beginning to view a regime they were ready to condemn to the history books in a new light.