SOHR reports that an impending announcement will establish a formation called the “Political Council for Central and West Syria” (PCCWS). The initiative, led by Alawite community figures, seeks to create a federal political entity defined by legal and geographical criteria encompassing Latakia and Tartus provinces and parts of Homs and Hama.
According to SOHR, the PCCWS aims to present a civil and secular model grounded in justice, citizenship, and respect for human rights, while explicitly committing to the principles of federalism and the rights of all components of Syrian society, irrespective of sectarian or national background. The council’s program, as described by SOHR sources, includes the following priorities:
- Establishing clear frameworks for executive, legislative, and judicial authorities.
- Ensuring the participation of all constituents in political life under standards of transparency and accountability.
- Advancing transitional justice by referring crimes against humanity and war crimes to the International Criminal Court, initiating necessary investigations, and potentially forming a special tribunal for Syria with both Syrian and international judges.
- Providing for sustained coverage and oversight by local and international media of any judicial proceedings.
The move would mark a significant new entrant into Syria’s evolving debate over governance and territorial administration. Kurdish-led structures in the northeast have long advocated a decentralized model, while Druze-led civic mobilizations in Sweida have increasingly voiced support for federal or decentralized arrangements. The PCCWS would be the first Alawite-led initiative to formally align with that trajectory, SOHR’s sources suggest.
Founders of the council reportedly include Amjad Badran, Salah Nayouf, Issa Ibrahim, Ali Aboud, Kenan Waqqaf, Ammar Ajib, Mostafa Rostom, Aws Darwish, Ra’if Salamah, and Waheed Yazbek.
SOHR did not specify the exact timing of the announcement. There has been no immediate public reaction from the Damascus government, opposition bodies, or international stakeholders.
Photo: Archive, Wikimedia, flag of the former Alawite State of Syria during the colonial era