The coastal massacres

What happened

An ambush campaign by pro-Assad remnants against government forces on the coast triggers mass reprisals: over 1,400 people are killed, mostly Alawite civilians, in Latakia and Tartus provinces, including Baniyas. The UN Commission of Inquiry later finds the violence widespread and systematic, committed by members of interim-government forces and associated groups as well as pro-former-government fighters.

The transition's darkest event and its standing test: accountability remains partial a year on, fear persists on the coast, and every minority community reads its own future in how this file is handled.

Confidence: High