Mohammad al-Bashir, an engineer in his early 40s, has emerged as Syria’s caretaker Prime Minister during a tumultuous period in the country’s history. Before assuming this role, he served as the head of the rebel administration’s self-proclaimed “Salvation Government” in Idlib, the last major stronghold of armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad. Al-Bashir previously held the position of “development minister” within the same administration.
An engineering graduate from Aleppo University, with additional studies in Islamic and civil law at Idlib University, al-Bashir once worked for Syria’s state gas company. His tenure as leader of the “Salvation Government,” which was established in 2017, aimed to provide governance and services in rebel-held areas cut off from government control. Over time, the administration expanded its assistance to regions like Aleppo following significant rebel advances.
Managing a region with a population of about five million was a challenging task, but stepping into national leadership poses even greater hurdles. Syria remains deeply divided, battered by 13 years of war, with widespread poverty and competing factions vying for control of former government strongholds.
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, a prominent Syrian rebel leader, praised al-Bashir’s leadership in Idlib, acknowledging the high level of experience and some successes achieved there. However, he emphasized the importance of leveraging expertise from the outgoing administration to address the complexities of national governance.
In his first public appearance outside Idlib, al-Bashir was seen alongside Jolani, dressed formally in a grey suit and gold watch, signaling a shift to his new role. Radwan Ziadeh, a senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, noted al-Bashir’s close ties with Jolani and the rebel factions but stressed the immense challenges ahead.
“The transitional process will require the involvement of all Syrians to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy,” Ziadeh remarked, underlining the weight of al-Bashir’s new responsibilities in uniting a fractured nation.
