Rural Baniyas in the Shadow of March 6

Interview with an agricultural engineer about trust building and farming in Harisoun

Security has improved significantly across the Syria in recent months, especially in Alawi regions, and many locals have expressed increased trust in the Ministry of Interior. Yet the massacres on March 6 by pro-government forces remain unaddressed. Communities which endured mass killings have ‘returned to life’ so-to-speak, but out of an economic and social necessity, not because of any resolution to their suffering. How do these communities view the current situation and the state’s security forces one year later?

I visited one such place, Harisoun, earlier this week. It is a small town north of Baniyas and close to rural Jableh (there is another “Harisoun” marked on google south of Baniyas, but this is not where the town actually is). It, like most of the Baniyas countryside, is dominated by greenhouse farming. I met with an engineer who runs several nurseries in the area. Our interview covers the massacre on March 8, how locals view security forces in the year since, and a detailed discussion of the agricultural industry, challenges farmers are facing, and what type of support could help the local economy.