7:16 am today

Syria one year on from Assad

From Saturday Morning, 7:16 am today

This week Syrians took to the streets to mark the one-year anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. 

The Al-Assad family controlled the country for 53 years, until a lightening offensive toppled him and forced him to flee the country.

Since then a transitional governing council has been in place with former rebel fighter Ahmed al-Sharra as president.

Brian Moller is Head of Mission at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Damascus and he joins Mihingarangi Forbes from the Syrian capital.

A boy waves a Syrian flag as they celebrate a year since the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital Damascus on December 8, 2025. President Ahmed al-Sharaa on December 8 urged Syrians to work together to rebuild their country as they marked a year since the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa's Islamist-led alliance launched a lightning offensive in late November last year, taking the capital Damascus on December 8 after nearly 14 years of war and putting an end to more than five decades of the Assad family's iron-fisted rule. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

A boy waves a Syrian flag during street celebrations in Damascus to mark the one-year anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Photo: LOUAI BESHARA / AFP