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With the end of Baath party’s regime, the development could lead to a significant change – a new official flag for the country that had its fair share of flag changes.
A demonstrator waves the Syrian opposition flag, also known as the revolution flag. (AFP)
Syrian rebels, led by a group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on Sunday declared the liberation of the capital city of Damascus and fall of President Bashar al-Assad after the weeklong’s lightning offensive that ended Assad family’s nearly five decades of iron-fisted rule in Syria.
Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian rebels’ green-white-black-red opposition flags in scenes that recalled the early days of the Arab Spring uprising, before a brutal crackdown and the rise of an insurgency plunged the country into a nearly 14-year civil war.
Syrian state television aired a video statement early Sunday by a group of rebels saying that Assad had been overthrown and all prisoners had been set free. They called on people to preserve the institutions of the free Syrian state. The rebels later announced a curfew in Damascus from 4 pm to 5 am.
With the end of Baath party’s regime, the development could lead to a significant change – a new official flag for the country that had its fair share of flag changes.
The Current Flag
The current Syria flag with red, white, black stripes with green stars in the middle has been in use since 1980.
In the flag, the red colour represents the blood-shed in the freedom revolution of the Syrians; White denotes a peaceful future; black colour signifies the alleged oppression suffered by the Arabs; and the green stars in the middle represent Syria and Egypt – the two founding states of the United Arab Republic, according to a report by NDTV.
The flag was first adopted in 1958 after Syria’s independence from Europe. It changed its flag three times between 1961 and 1980 before adopting the current design, the report added.
The Rebel Flag
Celebrations erupted around Syria and crowds ransacked Assad’s luxurious home after Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus in a spectacular end to five decades of Baath party rule. The similar celebrations were seen in Germany, Turkey and Greece where jubilant crowds waved the Syrian opposition flags.
Read More: ‘Victory To Islamic Nation’: Leader Of Syria’s Biggest Rebel Faction Hails Assad’s Fall
The rebels also raised and unfurled the opposition’s flag at country’s consulates in Turkey’s Istanbul and Greece’s Athens.
However, the rebel’s flag is not much different with the country’s existent flag. It has green at the top, white in the middle and black at the bottom of the flag with three red stars in the middle. As per the report, the rebels’ flag is the modified version of the independence flag first used in 1932 when Syria gained independence from France. The rebels favoured the flag to represent liberation from the Assad’s iron-fisted regime.
Earlier today, Russia confirmed today that Assad has resigned from the post of the President of Syria and left the country. While there has been no communication from Assad or his entourage on his whereabouts, Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali said he was ready to cooperate with “any leadership chosen by the Syrian people”.
- Location :
Damascus, Syria