In an un-expected turn of events Bashar al-Assad left Syria yesterday‚ ending his familys 54-year control over the nation (which started way back in the 70s). The quick collapse began when opposition forces started their push near Aleppo about two weeks ago; triggering nation-wide uprisings
The international community didnt see this coming: just last year most Arab countries welcomed Assad back into their circle giving him high-profile meetings and Arab League membership. The regimeʼs weakness wasnt visible on maps but its been falling apart from inside since their last real fight almost 5 years ago
Arab leaders rushed to Qatar for quick talks; their call for peace talks came too late. The UNʼs special person Geir Pedersen jumped in to work with Russia Iran and Turkey using the 9-year old Security Council rules: these say Syria needs free elections. However no-one knows how exactly these Geneva talks will work now
Early yesterday Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali the prime minister got moved to Damascusʼ Four Seasons hotel. Later Abu Mohammed al-Jolani who leads the main opposition group went to the citys big mosque. In coastal areas people took down Assad family statues
We welcome international support but dont need them to make a process weʼre already doing
Local groups are now running many towns using councils religious groups and whats left of government offices. The fast changes mean theres different ideas about what happens next - but international officials should talk to people who are already making things happen on the ground