More than 800 Gunmen Leave Hom’s al-Waer Neighborhood

HOMS, (ST)- More than 800 gunmen left Homs’s al-Waer neighborhood on Saturday after refusing the reconciliation agreement reached in the district. Their departure helps end the armed presence in this area and paves the way for the return of the state institutions to the neighborhood.

Fifty vehicles carrying 836 gunmen, some were accompanied by their families, left al-Waer to Idleb countryside in accordance with the specified program to implement the reconciliation agreement, according to SANA reporter.

In a statement to SANA, Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi said ” the reconciliation agreement in al-Waer aims to restore security and stability there and to help the displaced families return to their places, contrary to the claims and rumors being circulated by some misleading media outlets which took part in shedding the Syrian blood.”

 He clarified that some displaced people have started to return to al-Waer, noting that Homs Education Directorate managed to open 4 schools to accept returning students.”

He expected that al-Waer district will be empty of weapons and gunmen within three weeks.

Al-Barazi called on the locals and gunmen of al-Waer to benefit from the amnesty decree, stay in the neighborhood and have their legal status settled. He noted that the number of people who get their legal status settled over the past two weeks reached 700.

He stressed Homs governorate’s readiness to welcome all repentant gunmen if they hand over their weapons and seek settling their legal status in accordance with laws and regulations.

According to the governor, even families of the gunmen, who left in the last two batches, can return to the district, pointing out that seven gunmen and their families, who left in the second batch, have returned to al-Waer and get their legal status settled.

He expected that the number of people willing to leave al-Waer will decrease particularly after considerable services have been provided in the district, schools have been opened and safe movement of citizens has been secured.       

On Monday, more than 500 hundred gunmen and some of their families left al-Waer district while hundreds of others managed to settle their legal status in accordance with the amnesty decree No. 15. for 2016. 

The reconciliation agreement, reached on March 13, 2017 in al-Waer, is planned to take between 6-8 weeks to be completed and by the end of this period the district will be empty of armed presence after the gunmen who refuse reconciliation leave and the legal status of the rest is settled.

Al-Waer is the last bastion of armed groups in Homs city and by evacuating the gunmen from the district the city will be empty of armed presence.

Armed groups in the old city of Homs were evacuated in March 2014.

Hamda Mustafa