Hama & Homs Countryside | Systematic Expropriation of Alawite Land and Forced Demographic Change
Displaced Alawite farmers from the northeastern Hama countryside have issued an urgent appeal to media outlets and international human rights organizations, denouncing what they describe as the systematic and state-backed expropriation of their agricultural lands and private property. These communities—displaced years ago during regime shifts—now face a new wave of violations: not only are they denied the right to return, but their lands are being leased to outsiders under questionable circumstances.
Forced Displacement and Land Seizure
According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the affected villages were originally emptied by force, with homes looted and farmlands damaged. Bedouin groups were relocated into their properties, and livestock were allowed to graze freely, destroying decades-old olive and pistachio groves, which had served as the primary livelihood for many families.
The latest development involves a company called "Iktifaa Agricultural Investment", which, under the cover of the Syrian government’s Economic Committee, has begun signing unauthorized lease agreements for these lands. The contracts are with individuals unrelated to the area, and notably exclude the rightful landowners, who are still banned from even visiting their villages.
Affected Areas and Settler Replacement
The list of impacted communities includes more than 20 Alawite-majority villages in eastern Hama:
Al-Balil, Al-Zaghba, Al-Talisiyyah, Ma'an, Al-Fan Al-Wastani, Al-Fan Al-Qibli, Abu Mansaf, Al-Mabatan, Maryud, Al-Tuba, Nawa, Halban, Al-Thawra, Sheikh Ali Kassoun, Taldahab, Saba', Al-Buwaydah, Al-Ruwaif, and Al-Shiha.
In some of these villages, families from Raqqa and other Sunni-majority areas have been resettled, further deepening concerns of deliberate demographic engineering.
In addition, residents from Mahardah countryside have reported that their homes—particularly in Al-Midan neighborhood—have been stormed and illegally occupied by individuals from neighboring villages, who are now preparing them for permanent habitation.
Similar Patterns in Homs and Western Hama
The pattern is not confined to eastern Hama. In the western countryside, villages such as Al-Aziziyah and Arza have been completely evacuated, with residents from the town of Khattab moved in. Meanwhile, the village of Tasnin and surrounding areas in northern Homs have also been emptied, often through threats, intimidation, kidnappings, and violence.
There are also reports of a real estate company from Idlib gaining control over segments of these areas for investment purposes, fueling further displacement and loss of property for the original inhabitants.
A Deliberate Plan to Reshape the Region
What emerges is a clear and disturbing strategy: the forced removal of Alawite communities from dozens of villages and towns, and the implantation of alternative populations, primarily from regions more aligned with factions currently holding power. In some cases, propaganda campaigns have encouraged Bedouin resettlement into key areas, especially across the coastal provinces and Homs, areas historically home to Alawite communities.
The displaced farmers and residents have issued a collective call to action, demanding:
An immediate international investigation into the ongoing expropriation and forced demographic changes;
The return of displaced families to their homes and agricultural lands;
Legal intervention to halt unauthorized land use contracts;
And international recognition of these actions as part of a larger campaign of forced demographic transformation, echoing historical patterns of ethnic and sectarian targeting.
This unfolding crisis is not just about land—it is about identity, survival, and the right of communities to exist in their ancestral homes. The silence from Syrian authorities and the absence of legal recourse for the displaced only further deepen the wounds of injustice.