Syria: In Raqqa, fear of new episode of violence looms

Syrian electors will select members of its first post-Assad parliament on Sunday (October 5) in a process criticised, with a third of the members appointed by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The process is widely expected to consolidate the power of Sharaa and raise more questions about how to unite the country after 13 years of civil war. According to the interim government in Damascus, northeastern Syria has been largely excluded from the electoral process for security reasons. Negotiations are supposed to lead to the integration of this Kurdish-dominated region into the rest of Syria, but in the absence of significant progress, the standoff continues. In Raqqa, Kurdish authorities prepare for any eventuality.