Syria extends curfew in Homs after murder, sectarian violence

Syrian authorities have extended a curfew in several neighbourhoods in the city of Homs following sectarian violence which broke out following the horrific murder of a man and woman on Sunday.

The curfew was originally imposed on Sunday from 5pm until 5am but has now been extended until 5pm on Monday. It includes predominantly Alawite neighbourhoods of the city, such as Ikrima and Al-Zahraa, as well as mixed and predominantly Sunni neighbourhoods.

The Syrian government’s Internal Security Administration called on all residents of these neighbourhoods to adhere to the curfew to preserve their safety and ensure the completion of ongoing security operations.

On Sunday, a Sunni married couple of Bedouin origin were found brutally murdered in their home in the town of Zaidal, just east of Homs.

The husband was reportedly stoned to death while the wife’s body was burned, and sectarian slogans were daubed in blood on the walls.

While the slogans made references to the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin Ali and his grandson Hussein – figures revered by Alawite and Shia Muslims – the Syrian interior ministry has said that there is no evidence that the murder was sectarian.

It added that the slogans could have been painted to mislead and incite sectarian strife while hiding the true identity of the perpetrators, The New Arab’s affiliate Syria TV reported.

Following the murder, armed Bedouin from the Bani Khaled rampaged through Alawi-majority and mixed areas of Homs, setting fire to homes and cars, while firing indiscriminately. There were no reports of deaths.

Syrian security forces were deployed in large numbers to these areas, as well as to Zaidal, in an effort to contain the violence.

Syria TV said that they had imposed a tight security cordon accompanied by foot and vehicle patrols, in conjunction with the curfew.

Homs, which has a religiously diverse population, has been a flashpoint of sectarian tension and conflict before. It was one of the major centres of protest against the regime of former dictator Bashar al-Assad - who is a member of the Alawite community - when the Syrian revolution broke out in 2011.