Action Group – Rural Damascus
A number of residents of the Sayyida Zeinab Palestinian refugee camp in rural Damascus participated in a protest organized by the city’s residents, rejecting what they described as attempts to “sow sectarian strife” in the area and demanding information about the fate of their sons who have been missing since the Syrian war began.
The protesters held banners bearing slogans emphasizing coexistence and rejecting sectarianism, including: “No to sectarianism… We are searching for our loved ones, not for strife” and “Justice and the missing are our priority.” The protesters stressed that their area is known for its strong social fabric and demanded that no party be allowed to exploit the current circumstances to incite divisions among the residents.
They also emphasized that their primary concern is uncovering the fate of the missing and forcibly disappeared, calling on local and international bodies to assume their responsibilities in this matter and continue efforts to clarify their fate, release those still alive, and return the remains of the victims.
Several protesters pointed out that the area needs service and development projects, reconstruction, and the strengthening of justice and accountability, not initiatives and rhetoric that exacerbate tension and division.
This demonstration comes amid difficult living conditions for the camp’s residents, and with the continued suffering of many families who lost relatives in recent years without receiving any information about their fate.