Syria’s interim President, Ahmad Al Shara, made a symbolic visit on Friday to the southern city of Deraa – the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad was ousted almost six months ago.
State news agency Sana published video showing a cheering crowd greeting Mr Al Shara, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha.
Mr Al Shara and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Deraa's historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd. The mosque was one of the central locations where demonstrators gathered in 2011 before local security stormed the area.
Sana also said Mr Shara met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority.
Provincial governor Anwar Al Zoabi said in a statement that the visit was “an important milestone in the course of national recovery”.
In 2011, protests erupted after the arrest and torture in Deraa of a group of schoolboys who had spray-painted anti-government graffiti. This sparked mass demonstrations against the Assad government.
The regime’s violent response to the peaceful protests was a key catalyst that transformed local protests into a nationwide uprising.
On December 6, as Mr Al Shara's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham led a lightning offensive on Damascus from the country's north-west, a coalition of armed groups from Deraa province was formed to help remove Mr Al Assad. He was toppled two days later.
The province was plagued by unrest in recent years.
