Syrians in Belgium took to the streets to celebrate the fall of President Bashar al-Assad's regime on Sunday. While many are apprehensive about what's in store for the country, several living in the Belgian capital told The Brussels Times that they are hopeful for the future.
At least 30,000 Syrians currently live in Belgium, according to official data, yet experts point out that this number is an underestimate. After five years in Belgium, someone with a residence permit can apply for Belgian nationality. After that, they are no longer visible in the migration figures.
Hasan Mukersch, owner of the Syrian restaurant O'Syrie in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is one of them. "I came here in 2015 as a refugee. Officially, I have had the Belgian nationality for over a year now, but I will always be Syrian in my heart," he told The Brussels Times.
Uncertain future
Along with about 100 other Syrians in Brussels, he celebrated the fall of toppled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime at the Atomium on Sunday. In the Anderlecht district of Cureghem, approximately 600 people also took to the streets to celebrate this weekend.
"For the first time since the war started in Syria over a decade ago, I am filled with hope for the future," Mukersch said. "But the situation is very difficult. There is a lot of uncertainty now. No one knows what is going to happen next."
While he still has friends and family members in Syria, specifically in Aleppo, Mukersch has a family here as well: over 10 years ago, he arrived with his wife and two children, and a third child – "a Covid baby" – was born four years ago.
"We have the Belgian nationality now, we started a business, we built a life here. I am definitely not looking to move back to Syria anytime soon," he said. "But it is really good to know that the option might be there in the future. Who knows what will happen. Maybe in 30 years, I will go back and retire in the Syrian sun."
Brüksel'de Atomium ve Gar du Central önünde toplanan yüzlerce Suriyeli, Esed rejiminin düşmesini kutladı pic.twitter.com/ltesqb1tt4
— Tr724 (@Tr724) December 8, 2024
While Maryam (38), one of the many Syrians living in Anderlecht, was also out celebrating the news on Sunday, she was not as carefree as her peers, she told The Brussels Times. "I have not spoken to my brother in eight years. He was very vocal with his criticism of the Assad regime, and from one day to the next, he disappeared."
Maryam and her family believe that he was taken to the infamous Sednaya prison, north of Damascus, also known as "the slaughterhouse." For years, the prison was a symbol of the many human rights violations of Assad's dictatorial regime, with human rights NGOs detailing torture and mass executions.
On Sunday, the Syrian rebels led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, announced that they had taken control of Sednaya prison and released all of the detainees. "People we know in Damascus are looking for him, but we have not heard anything yet. I don't even dare to hope that he is still alive."
A free Syria?
While Sunday was for celebration, the geopolitical consequences of what needs to happen with the country will become clear in the coming days.
Assad and his family reportedly arrived in Moscow on Sunday and were granted asylum in Russia for what state media said were "humanitarian reasons."
Mukersch said that the coming days will be crucial in determining the future of the country and Assad. "I do not really care what happens to him, to be honest. Whatever it is, it will not bring back our loved ones or turn back time and undo all the pain he and his regime caused. The only thing I hope is that Syria will really be free."