PROVIDENCE – Millions of Syrians were forced to leave their homes over 13 long years of civil war, and although the country’s future is uncertain, this month marked a turning point when armed rebels took the capital of Damascus, ousting the longtime president , Bashar al-Assad.
For more than five decades, Assad’s presidency and his father’s rule before that were marred by human rights violations , including mass imprisonments, torture and disappearances. The U.S. became home to nearly 28,000 Syrian refugees between 2012 and 2022, and Rhode Island itself has one of the largest per-capita populations of Syrians in the United States.
The Providence Journal spoke with several Rhode Islanders whose lives were shaped by the Syrian Civil War, asking them to share how they feel about watching the country’s historic moment.
Reflecting on Assad’s rule
Nora Barré, executive director of the Downtown Providence Park Network , was born in Aleppo and came to the U.S. when she was 12.
“My entire family, both sides of my parents, have been affected by the Assad regime and the cruelty of the dictatorship and autocracy,” she said. “I have two girls, and I never ever imagined that I would be able to take them back to visit Syria. Maybe they rebuild the government and reestablish the foundations of society. Maybe there’s a hope now.”