COMMON ANALYSIS | Last update: December 2025
The analysis below is based on the following EUAA COI reports: Country Focus July 2025, 1.1., 1.5., 2.1.2., 5.8.5.; Targeting 2020, 10.3.; Country Guidance should not be referred to as a source of COI.
Sunni Arabs form the biggest ethno-religious group in Syria and live throughout the country. The Transitional Government is dominated by Ministers from Sunni Arab background and the leadership positions at the police, General Security Services (GSS) and army are largely filled with Sunni Arabs. The new Fatwa council is comprised entirely of Sunni members, and Islamic jurisprudence is the primary source of legislation. Sunni Arabs cannot be considered a homogenous group as they vary according to their political affiliation, practice and identity, as well as regional and tribal loyalties.
Step 1: Do the reported acts amount to persecution?
There is no information on acts amounting to persecution committed against individuals for the mere fact of being Sunni Arab.
More precisely, reports describe attacks by Assad-aligned militias (see 3.6. Other actors) against Sunni communities in March 2025, and clashes between Sunni and Alawite communities in May 2025, without mentioning the reason of those events.
Should a Sunni Arab be targeted, it would be related to other circumstances than the mere fact of being a Sunni Arab.
The mere fact of being Sunni Arab would in general not substantiate a well-founded fear of persecution.