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37-755: The Local Coordination Committees of Syria started in March 2011 from local groups that published reports about protests during the Syrian uprising and developed into a national network involved in journalism about protests and the protests themselves. The groups had developed from informal networks of friends and colleagues involved in dissidence that had existed for many years. Prior to the uprising, Syrian activists had brought in mobile telephones, satellite modems and computers in anticipation of Arab Spring protests developing in Syria. In June 2011, The New York Times described

74-668: A civil war, according to several outside observers, including the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , as armed elements became better organized and began carrying out successful attacks in retaliation for the crackdown by the Syrian government on demonstrators and defectors. The Arab League monitoring mission , initiated in December 2011, ended in failure by February 2012, as Syrian Ba'athist troops and oppositional militants continued to do battle across

111-1395: A distinct advantage". The network said that peaceful demonstrations would make it easier to develop democracy following a revolution, while militarisation would make it "virtually impossible to establish a legitimate foundation for a proud future Syria." LCC Syria was one of the groups that formed what's called "Freedom Days" as an umbrella for non-violence groups in Syria. 2011%E2%80%932012 Syrian uprising UN-mediated truce : [REDACTED] Syrian Arab Republic [REDACTED]   Syrian opposition [REDACTED] Fatah al-Islam [REDACTED] Foreign mujahideen [REDACTED] Bashar al-Assad President of Syria [REDACTED] Adel Safar Prime Minister of Syria [REDACTED] Dawoud Rajiha Defense Minister [REDACTED] Fahed al-Jasem el-Freij Chief Of Staff (Syrian Army) [REDACTED] Maher al-Assad 4th Division Commander [REDACTED] Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar Interior Minister [REDACTED] Assef Shawkat Deputy Defense Minister and Intelligence head [REDACTED] Riad al-Asaad Free Syrian Army commander [REDACTED] Mustafa Ahmed al-Sheikh Higher Military Council head Civilian casualties (including 1,800–2,154 civilians killed during civil uprising) : The early insurgency phase of

148-632: A failed defection in Idlib Governorate led to 72 defectors killed. In January 2012, Assad began using large-scale artillery operations against the insurgency, which led to the destruction of many civilian homes due to indiscriminate shelling. By this time, daily protests had dwindled, eclipsed by the spread of armed conflict. January saw intensified clashes around the suburbs of Damascus , with Syrian Army use of tanks and artillery becoming common. Fighting in Zabadani began on 7 January when

185-662: A million pro-government demonstrators, while others estimated crowds at least "tens of thousands" comparable in size to a pro-government rally "a week earlier in Damascus". In early November 2011, clashes between the FSA and security forces in Homs escalated as the siege continued. After six days of bombardment, the Syrian Army stormed the city on 8 November, leading to heavy street fighting in several neighborhoods. Resistance in Homs

222-781: A nationwide crackdown nicknamed the "Ramadan Massacre" resulted in the death of at least 142 people and hundreds of injuries. On 23 August, a coalition of anti-government groups called the Syrian National Council was formed. The council, based in Turkey, attempted to organize the opposition. The opposition, however, including the FSA, remained a fractious collection of political groups, longtime exiles, grassroots organizers and armed militants divided along ideological, ethnic and/or sectarian lines. Throughout August 2011, government forces stormed major urban centres and outlying regions, and continued to attack protests. On 14 August,

259-517: A result of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2043 in response to the Syrian Civil War . It was commanded by Norwegian Major General Robert Mood until 20 July 2012 followed by Lieutenant General Babacar Gaye from Senegal . Although observers remain in the country, Mood suspended their mission on June 16, 2012, citing "escalating violence". Observers will conduct no further patrols and stay in their current positions until

296-585: Is decentralized and works in secret. The first of the committees was created in the Daraya suburb of Damascus . As of June 2011, the most active committee was in Homs . As of June 2011, the network had 35 individual leaders, who tried to communicate daily. As of February 2012, the network had 14 local committees, one each in Daraa , Homs, Baniyas , Saraqeb , Idlib , al-Hasakah , Qamishli , Deir ez-Zor ,

333-526: The Dignity Strike in Syria "Karamah Strike". In August 2011, LCCSyria declared that it understands the calls for internal armed opposition to the Syrian government and international military intervention, but opposes both. It said that militarisation would reduce popular support for the opposition, reduce the opposition's moral superiority, and put "the Revolution in an arena where the regime has

370-572: The Friends of Syria Group , provides "material support" and "training assistance" to the LCCs. Rami Nakhle, who helps LCCSyria from exile in Lebanon , said that media activities documenting protests were the network's first main activity. The Syrian human rights lawyer Razan Zaitouneh , winner of the 2011 Sakharov Prize and the 2011 Anna Politkovskaya Award , has documented human rights in Syria for

407-589: The Siege of Latakia continued as the Syrian Navy became involved in the military crackdown for the first time. Gunboats fired heavy machine guns at waterfront districts in Latakia, as ground troops and security agents backed by armour stormed several neighbourhoods. The Eid ul-Fitr celebrations, which began at the end of August, were muted after security forces fired on protesters gathered in Homs, Daraa, and

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444-486: The Syrian civil war lasted from late July 2011 to April 2012, and was associated with the rise of armed oppositional militias across Syria and the beginning of armed rebellion against the authorities of the Syrian Arab Republic . Though armed insurrection incidents began as early as June 2011 when rebels killed 120–140 Syrian security personnel, the beginning of organized insurgency is typically marked by

481-658: The Damascus suburb of Harasta , the Ba'ath Syrian Regional Branch youth headquarters in Idlib Governorate and Damascus, an airbase in Homs Governorate , and an intelligence building in Idlib. On 15 December, opposition fighters ambushed checkpoints and military bases around Daraa, killing 27 soldiers, in one of the largest attacks yet on security forces. The opposition suffered a major setback on 19 December, when

518-489: The FSA was the longest and most intense action until that time. After a week, the FSA was forced to retreat from Rastan. To avoid government forces, the leader of the FSA, Colonel Riad Asaad, retreated to Turkey. Many of the rebels fled to the nearby city of Homs. By October 2011, the FSA started to receive active support from the Turkish government, which allowed the rebel army to operate its command and headquarters from

555-435: The FSA. According to defectors, in 2011 the Syrian government intentionally released imprisoned Islamist militants and provided them with arms "in order to make itself the least bad choice for the international community". On 19 October 2011 U.S. media reported that "large crowds of Syrians rallied in the northern city of Aleppo in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad". The Syrian government estimated over

592-548: The Syrian Army eventually captured the district of Baba Amr , a rebel stronghold. By the end of March, the Syrian Army retook control of half a dozen districts, leaving them in control of 70 percent of the city. By 14 March, Syrian troops successfully ousted insurgents from the city of Idlib after days of fighting. By early April, the estimated death toll of the conflict, according to activists, reached 10,000. In April 2012, Assad forces began employing attack helicopters against rebel forces. In early 2012, Kofi Annan acted as

629-430: The Syrian Army stormed the town in an attempt to root out the FSA presence. After the first phase of the battle ended with a ceasefire on 18 January, leaving the FSA in control of the town, the FSA launched an offensive into nearby Douma. Fighting in the town lasted from 21 to 30 January, before the rebels were forced to retreat as result of a government counteroffensive. Although the Syrian Army managed to retake most of

666-527: The Syrian coast, Hama , Raqqa , as-Suwayda' , Damascus and the Damascus suburbs. LCCSyria was financed by donations from individual supporters. This is further facilitated by the " Adopt a Revolution " initiative. Furthermore, the Office for Syrian Opposition Support , which itself was founded by the United States Department of State and Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is funded by

703-541: The UN– Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria. His peace plan provided for a ceasefire, but even as the negotiations for it were being conducted, the rebels and the Syrian army continued fighting even after the peace plan. The United Nations -backed ceasefire was brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan and declared in mid-April 2012, but eventually met a similar fate, with unarmed UN peacekeepers' movements tightly controlled by

740-476: The country and the Syrian Ba'athist government prevented foreign observers from touring active battlefields, including besieged oppositional strongholds. In early 2012, Kofi Annan acted as the UN– Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria. His peace plan provided for a ceasefire, but even as the negotiations for it were being conducted, the rebels and the Syrian army continued fighting even after

777-507: The country's southern Hatay Province close to the Syrian border, and its field command from inside Syria. In October 2011, clashes between government and army units which had defected were being regularly reported. During the first week of the month, sustained clashes were reported in Jabal al-Zawiya in the mountains of Idlib Governorate . Syrian rebels also captured most of Idlib city. In mid-October, clashes in Idlib Governorate included

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814-580: The cycle of violence in Syria". It estimated the number of deaths in the civil war is more than 100,000. Amnesty International describes the network's methods as peaceful protests. Civil disobedience methods used by the network include nightly protests in Hama and refusal to pay water, electricity and telephone bills in the Duma suburb of Damascus. The network called for a two-day general strike on 5–6 February 2012. They also called with other non-violence groups to

851-432: The end of April, it became clear the situation was getting out of his control and the Syrian government deployed numerous troops on the ground. The civil uprising phase created the platform for emergence of militant opposition movements and massive defections from the Syrian Army, which gradually transformed the conflict from a civil uprising to an armed rebellion, and later a full-scale civil war. The rebel Free Syrian Army

888-466: The formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on 29 July 2011, when a group of defected officers declared the establishment of the first organized oppositional military force. Composed of defected Syrian Armed Forces personnel, the rebel army aimed to remove Bashar al-Assad and his government from power. This period of the war saw the initial civil uprising take on many of the characteristics of

925-603: The government and fighting. By early June 2012, the civil war entered its most violent phase, with fighting spreading all across the country and fatalities mounting in unprecedented numbers. Incommunicado detention, including of children, also continued. United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria The United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria ( UNSMIS ) was a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Syria , set up in 2012 as

962-463: The military observers have been sent back to their countries. On August 16, France's UN Ambassador Gerard Araud , the current Security Council president , said the conditions to extend the mission beyond August 20, among which a significant reduction of violence, were not met and the mission would end. Russia organised new UN meetings in New York on Friday, August 17, and called on all sides to end

999-453: The network as beginning to "emerge as a pivotal force" in Syrian politics, "earning the respect of more recognized, but long divided dissidents." The formation and structure of the councils were influenced by the proposals of the anarchist Omar Aziz , known for his November 2011 paper, The Formation of Local Councils . The LCCSyria network consists of "overwhelmingly young" demonstrators of multiple religious and class backgrounds. The network

1036-409: The network. The network's text and photographic reports of injuries and deaths of protestors have been used by CNN , Al Jazeera English , The Guardian and The Washington Post . The network publishes reports on its own website and on Facebook . On 1 February 2012, LCCSyria criticised the international and Arab community as having been "unable to take any decision that contributes to stopping

1073-592: The peace plan. The United Nations -backed ceasefire was brokered by special envoy Kofi Annan and declared in mid-April 2012. The civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war was an early stage of protests – with subsequent violent reaction by the Syrian Arab Republic authorities – lasting from March to 28 July 2011. The uprising, initially demanding democratic reforms, evolved from initially minor protests, beginning as early as January 2011 and transformed into massive protests in March. The uprising

1110-667: The suburbs of Damascus. By September 2011, Syrian rebels were engaged in an active insurgency campaign in many parts of Syria. A major confrontation between the FSA and the Syrian Armed Forces occurred in Al-Rastan . From 27 September to 1 October, Syrian government forces, backed by tanks and helicopters, led an offensive on the town of Al-Rastan in Homs Governorate , in order to drive out army defectors. The 2011 Battle of Rastan between government forces and

1147-548: The suburbs, sporadic fighting continued. Fighting erupted in Rastan again on 29 January, when dozens of soldiers manning the town's checkpoints defected and began opening fire on troops loyal to the government. Opposition forces gained complete control of the town and surrounding suburbs on 5 February. On 3 February, the Syrian Army launched a major offensive in Homs to retake rebel-held neighborhoods. In early March, after weeks of artillery bombardments and heavy street fighting,

Local Coordination Committees of Syria - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-1506: The suspension is lifted. On 20 July 2012, the Security Council extended UNSMIS for a final period of 30 days. According to resolution 2059, the Council would only consider more extensions in the event that the Secretary-General reports and the Security Council confirms the cessation of the use of heavy weapons and a reduction in the level of violence sufficient by all sides to allow UNSMIS to implement its mandate. Resolution 2043 authorizes up to 304 unarmed military observers, plus an appropriate civilian component. As of 30 June 2012, UNSMIS consisted of 280 military observers, 81 international civilian staff and 41 local civilian staff. Military personnel came from Armenia , Bangladesh , Benin , Brazil , Burkina Faso , Burundi , Cambodia , Chad , China , Croatia , Czech Republic , Denmark , Ecuador , Egypt , Fiji , Finland , France , Ghana , Indonesia , Ireland , Italy , Jordan , Kenya , Kyrgyzstan , Mauritania , Morocco , Nepal , Netherlands , New Zealand , Niger , Nigeria , North Korea , Norway , Paraguay , Philippines , Romania , Russia , Senegal , Slovenia , Sweden , Switzerland , Togo , Vietnam , Yemen and Zimbabwe . On 25 July 2012, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous announced that about half of

1221-408: The towns of Binnish and Hass in the governorate near the mountain range of Jabal al-Zawiya . In late October, clashes occurred in the northwestern town of Maarrat al-Nu'man between government forces and defected soldiers, and near the Turkish border, where 10 security agents and a deserter were killed in a bus ambush. It was not clear if the defectors linked to these incidents were connected to

1258-399: The violence. On 20 July, the Security Council extended UNSMIS for a final period of 30 days. According to resolution S/RES/2059, the Council would only consider further extensions to the mission ‘’in the event that the Secretary-General reports and the Security Council confirms the cessation of the use of heavy weapons and a reduction in the level of violence sufficient by all sides to allow

1295-644: Was created on 29 July 2011, marking the transition into armed insurgency. During the June 2011 Jisr ash-Shugur operation , the Syrian army claimed to have begun a crackdown on terrorists between 4 and 12 June, which left 120–140 security personnel dead. On 29 July 2011, seven defecting Syrian Armed Forces officers formed the Free Syrian Army (FSA), originally composed of defected Syrian military officers and soldiers, aiming "to bring this government (the Assad government) down" with united opposition forces. On 31 July,

1332-411: Was marked by massive anti-government opposition demonstrations against the Ba'athist government of Bashar al-Assad , meeting with police and military violence, massive arrests and brutal crackdown, resulting in hundreds of casualties and thousands of wounded. Despite Bashar al-Assad's attempts to pacify the protests with massive crackdown and use of censorship on one hand and concessions on the other, by

1369-474: Was significantly greater than that seen in other towns and cities, and some in opposition have referred to the city as the "Capital of the Revolution". Unlike events in Deraa and Hama, operations in Homs failed to quell the unrest. November and December 2011 saw increasing rebel attacks, as opposition forces grew in number. In the two months, the FSA launched deadly attacks on an air force intelligence complex in

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