‘I recorded my will’: Indonesian students in Damascus recount moments around Assad’s historic fall

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JAKARTA: As news lingered on a nerve-wracking Saturday evening that rebel forces were preparing to enter the Syrian capital Damascus, residents shuttered their doors and windows. Among them were hundreds of Indonesian citizens.

According to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Damascus, there are about 1,162 Indonesian citizens living in Syria, with most of them residing in Damascus, where there are around 200 Indonesian undergraduates studying. One of them is Tubagus Muhammad. 

“Suddenly, the internet connection was disrupted that night, so we didn’t know what was happening outside,” the 22-year-old Indonesian undergraduate told CNA. 

Tubagus then went to sleep in his dormitory in the Rukn al-Din district, located about 10 minutes away from former President Bashar Al-Assad’s palace. At about 2am in the morning on Sunday (Dec 8), he woke up to the sound of gunshots.

“There were sounds of gunfire everywhere. I thought there was a shooting. That was probably the scariest night for me,” said the student at Bilad al-Sham University.

“I even recorded a video of my will, in fear that it might be one of my last nights,” he added. 

However, when the internet connection was restored at about 5am, Tubagus realised that the sounds he heard were not gunfire, but rather celebratory shots fired in the air. 

“They were actually celebrating, celebrating the fact that the regime has fallen,” Tubagus recounted to CNA.

On Sunday, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham opposition forces led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani succeeded in continuing their advance against the Syrian government, culminating in the seizure of Damascus. This forced Assad to flee the country and he has reportedly been granted asylum in Russia. 

The fall of Assad marked the beginning of the end of Syria’s 13-year conflict which claimed over 580,000 lives and displaced 12 million others. 

As rebels declared the end of the Assad rule on Sunday, residents streamed into the streets celebrating their freedom from the regime’s grip. 

The joyous atmosphere was also felt by Wahyudi, another Indonesian undergraduate in Damascus. Following morning prayers that day, residents in Damascus left their houses chanting the Islamic “takbir”, he said. 

“The atmosphere was more festive than during Eid. It wasn’t scary at all. The sound of gunfire could be heard as a form of celebration,” Wahyudi told CNA.

Besides Damascus, the fall of the Assad regime was celebrated all around Syria. Displaced Syrians around the world were also rejoicing.

“They felt as though they had been freed from prison with Assad’s fall,” said Wahyudi, who is also studying at Bilad al-Sham University.

His schoolmate Tubagus said that their Syrian friends had expressed their relief on social media. He added that they previously had to hold back from expressing their views about Assad because they were afraid. 

“After (the fall of the regime), they (the Syrians) dared to make bold posts (on social media) about Assad,” said Tubagus.

DAYS BEFORE THE FALL OF THE REGIME 

Prior to capturing Damascus, various media outlets reported that the rebel forces had successfully seized surrounding cities, notably Aleppo, Hama and Homs, paving the way for the capital’s eventual capture. 

The Indonesian embassy in Syria had conveyed an advisory to all Indonesian citizens in the country several days before the capital was seized. 

According to Wahyudi, lectures and school were to be suspended until the situation normalises. Last Saturday, students living in dormitories were also banned from going out at night. But it turned out that the situation was far from what the students had feared.

“At 5am on Sunday when I woke up, I heard noise, but there was no commotion,” said the student from North Sumatra. 

“Although the rebels were armed, they did not attack the residents and were focused on the military places,” he added.

There was however, some panic on the night before Damascus was seized.

“I returned home and passed by the market, I saw people panic buying. They bought everything they could, because they feared an armed confrontation,” Tubagus told CNA. 

Judah Nugraha, Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens at Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that the situation at that time was still fluid, although the fighting had subsided. 

“The security situation is still very dynamic. There were some loud explosions around the city of Damascus due to attacks suspected to have been carried out by Israel. There were also bullets which hit the roof of the Indonesian Embassy building, which went through to the meeting room, but no Indonesian citizens were injured,” Judha told the media. 

On Monday, a day after the fall of Assad’s regime, shops in the city were still not open, making it difficult for residents to buy food. 

Tubagus and fellow undergraduates from the Indonesian Students Association distributed food to fellow Indonesian citizens who required assistance. The shops reportedly only reopened on Tuesday as life slowly returned to normal and people resumed their daily activities. 

“I am proud to be able to witness such a historical moment firsthand,” Tubagus told CNA.

EVACUATION EFFORTS 

The Indonesian government is actively facilitating evacuation efforts for its citizens who wish to return back to their homeland. On Thursday, the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus evacuated 37 people back to Indonesia. 

They were evacuated firstly by land from Damascus to Beirut on Tuesday, before being flown on commercial flights to Jakarta. 

The Indonesian government plans to carry out a second round of evacuation involving 97 citizens, though the timing has not yet been decided. 

The two undergraduates – Tubagus and Wahyudi – told CNA that they are reluctant to be evacuated because they are in their final year of university, with full scholarships in Damascus. 

The conflict in Syria that has been ongoing since 2011 as part of the broader Arab Spring has not deterred them from pursuing their studies in the country since 2021. 

While initially opposed by his parents, Tubagus is convinced that the city is safe. 

“It is a beautiful city … there are a lot of historical places,” he said. 

“We are fine, there is no need to worry for now,” Wahyudi told CNA. 

Once the conflict is over and the leadership transition is fully underway, as foreigners living in the country, the two undergraduates hope for peace in Syria and for the country to be visited by people around the world. 

“We are happy if the Syrians are happy and we hope that Syria moves in a more positive direction,” Tubagus concluded.