meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Syria makes progress towards reunification

24 April 2025

 

Following the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad in late 2024, President Ahmed Al-Sharaa has rapidly consolidated power in Syria. He has transitioned from a militant and political outsider into a credible leader increasingly recognised in the region and on the world stage.

Within Syria, Al-Sharaa faces political, economic, military and civil challenges in pulling the country back together again. In recent weeks, a prominent focus has been the reunification of Syria’s fractured security landscape through the negotiated dissolution and integration of smaller rebel factions into a centralised military structure under the Ministry of Defence.

Rebel disbandment

Most recently, the new government brokered the dissolution of the Eighth Brigade, a 3,000-strong rebel group based in the southern city of Daraa that had waged an insurgency against the government of Bashar Al-Assad since 2018.

That outcome proved a relief to the government after its trustworthiness in talks was thrown into doubt by the chaos that erupted in Syria’s coastal region on 6 March as Islamist groups committed massacres against Alawite civilians in revenge over attacks by Assad loyalists.

On 9 March, Al-Sharaa appointed a committee to report on the violence, determine its perpetrators and theoretically hold them to account. That move caused some murmurings within his own ranks, but externally it showed the president’s commitment, in principle, to justice.

It also appeared to serve the political imperatives of the moment. Just a day later, on 10 March, the reassured Kurdish- led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – representing tens of thousands of trained soldiers – signed a deal to integrate its forces into the national army.

The deal marked perhaps the most significant step towards national reunification so far, promising to restore to government control a swathe of northeastern Syria and its oil fields that has been largely lost to Damascus since the 2014 invasion by the Islamic State.

The integration of the SDF into the national military also appears to have been accepted by the US, which had been supporting the SDF military as an independent force in the northeast of the country, but has now announced the planned staggered withdrawal of its stationed troops.

Al-Sharaa has been making his rounds of the region in a diplomatic blitz aimed at shoring up regional support for his new government

Broader priorities

Alongside reconsolidating and restructuring the country’s military and security apparatus, Al-Sharaa’s main priorities are foreign affairs and economic policy. These two areas go hand in hand, given that removing international sanctions is key to reviving Syria’s economy.

In late March, Al-Sharaa entrenched his authority by enacting a new constitutional declaration, announcing a new transitional government and granting himself sweeping executive powers, including the right to appoint a third of the legislature and select judges for the constitutional court.

The cabinet was also broadened and reshuffled to address concerns over the lack of representation from minority communities. Individuals from the Alawite, Druze and Christian communities, as well as one woman, were appointed to ministerial positions.

The move further witnessed the replacement of the formerly appointed justice minister Shadi Al-Waisi, whose elevation embarrassed the government after 2015 videos surfaced of him presiding over street executions by morality police as part of the then Nusra Front. His removal was another reassuring step for observers that the government is attuned and reactive to constructive criticism.

With the right signals sent, Al-Sharaa has been making his rounds of the region in a diplomatic blitz aimed at shoring up regional support for his new government. He is likely also aiming to put the right words in the right ears, in the hope that they filter through the Gulf’s power lobbying system to the US.

Already on 30 January, just a day after Al-Sharaa became president, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani flew to greet the man who displaced Al-Assad – a goal also long pursued by Doha. On 2 February, Al-Sharaa then took his first trip abroad to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Some other regional governments have been more reticent to launch into renewed relations, but have increasingly come on board.

This includes Iraq, which, hesitant over Al-Sharaa’s past militant activity against Baghdad, only arranged a meeting between the Syrian president and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani on 17 April in Doha – ultimately driven by shared security imperatives. Al-Sudani also invited Al-Sharaa to attend the upcoming Arab summit in Baghdad in May.

On 14 April, the equally green Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also met with Al-Sharaa in Damascus – no doubt keen to address the recent border clashes between the two countries. A day earlier, Al-Sharaa was in Abu Dhabi to meet Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, rounding out his visits to the key power brokers and budget holders in the Gulf.

Between all of these meetings, Al-Sharaa appears to have ingratiated himself with the region’s other leaders with remarkable rapidity and ease. A year after the Arab League reaccepted him in May 2023, Al-Assad had made little comparable progress.

For world leaders weary from years of dithering by Al-Assad’s government, which was unable or unwilling to even acquiesce to the Gulf’s most basic request – to stem the flow of the drug captagon from within Syria’s borders – Al-Sharaa is at least a partner who can do that and achieve far more besides. 

For years, it has been the case that a reunified Syria and a rebuilt Syrian economy would lift the entire Levant region and any Gulf investors with it. The appetite in the region to see it succeed has been there. All that has been missing is a suitable partner in Damascus to move forward with.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13747658/main.gif
John Bambridge

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Ashghal tenders more infrastructure contracts

    25 March 2026

     

    Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has issued two tenders covering infrastructure development in the northern section of the New Industrial Area and the Wadi Al-Banat area.

    Ashghal issued the tender for consultancy services for the design of roads and infrastructure in the northern part of the New Industrial Area on 16 March. The bid submission deadline is 26 April.

    The project is located in the Small and Medium Industries Area within Zone 81.

    The scope includes developing road infrastructure for the northern expansion area, which spans more than 100 hectares, and improving Energy Street by upgrading three signalised intersections. It also includes new access roads and surface-water and groundwater networks.

    The project also requires a masterplan study for surface-water and groundwater drainage covering an area of about 2,743 hectares.

    The second tender covers the construction of roads and infrastructure in the Wadi Al-Banat area (Zone 70).

    The tender was issued on 16 March, with a bid submission deadline of 12 May.

    The scope includes the development of about 25 kilometres of roads.

    The latest tender follows Ashghal’s announcement earlier this month of contract awards for 12 new projects, with a total value exceeding QR4.5bn ($1.2bn).

    According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, Qatar’s construction industry is expected to expand by 4.3% in 2026, supported by investments in renewable energy and transportation infrastructure.

    According to the Planning & Statistics Authority, Qatar’s construction value-add grew by 6.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. 

    GlobalData expects the industry to grow at an annual average growth rate of 4.6% in 2027-29, supported by investments in construction, energy and infrastructure projects.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16114076/main.gif
    Yasir Iqbal
  • War likely to boost oil and gas activity in North Africa

    25 March 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    The US and Israel’s ongoing war with Iran is likely to boost oil and gas project activity in North Africa, as the high-price environment encourages the region’s national oil companies to push ahead with projects that will allow them to increase exports.

    In recent weeks, international oil and gas prices have stayed consistently far higher than levels seen before the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran on 28 February, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

    For the past two weeks, the price of Brent crude has remained above $90 a barrel and has hit a high of more than $109.

    Similarly, the Dutch TTF natural gas benchmark has stayed above €45 per megawatt hour and hit a high of more than €62, up from €31 prior to the 28 February attack.

    Gulf disruption

    Over the same period, the long-term outlook for oil and gas exports from the GCC and Iraq has dimmed significantly as disruption to transport through the Strait of Hormuz has continued and damage to key regional oil and gas infrastructure has increased.

    Damage to infrastructure has included attacks on oil and gas fields, as well as strikes on oil refineries, storage facilities and gas processing plants.

    This damage means that even if the disruption to the transport of oil and gas via the strait ends quickly, the war will have a long-term impact on oil and gas production and exports in the GCC and Iraq.

    On 18 March, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, QatarEnergy’s CEO and minister of state for energy affairs, said Iranian strikes on Ras Laffan Industrial City – home to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and export facility – had knocked out about 17% of its LNG export capacity.

    He said the attacks were expected to cause an estimated $20bn in lost annual revenue and that repairs could take three to five years to complete.

    In Bahrain, the Sitra oil refinery, which has a throughput capacity of 405,000 barrels a day (b/d), has been attacked and damaged, leading Bapco to declare force majeure.

    Strikes also hit the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia, as well as the Habshan gas processing complex in the UAE.

    North Africa

    The high-price environment and the long-term impact of the ongoing conflict represent an opportunity for North Africa’s oil-producing nations, especially the region’s biggest oil and gas exporters: Algeria and Libya.

    Higher prices will dramatically increase government revenues for these countries, giving them more capacity to invest in infrastructure projects, while also providing a significant financial incentive to boost production in the short term.

    Both Algeria and Libya are close to European markets that have relied on oil and gas from the GCC and Iraq, and neither country relies on the Strait of Hormuz to transport exports.

    The two countries also appear to be seeking to accelerate oil and gas projects at a time of heightened demand from energy-importing nations to secure reliable supplies.

    Libya push

    Earlier this month, MEED revealed that talks were under way at Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) to potentially launch a new licensing round to award some of the unawarded exploration blocks from the 2025 licensing round.

    In the downstream sector, Libya also seems to be pushing to progress projects.

    Recently, US-based KBR was awarded a contract by Zallaf Exploration, Production & Refining of Oil & Gas Company to provide project management and technical services for the South Refinery Project in Libya’s southern city of Ubari.

    Algeria drive

    Algeria is also advancing projects in the country’s oil and gas sector.

    On 8 March, Algeria’s president signed a decree ratifying the development agreement for a $5.4bn oil and gas project in the country’s Illizi South block.

    The decree approved a contract signed in Algiers on 13 October 2025 between Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach and Saudi Arabia’s Midad Energy North Africa.

    The contract granted both companies the rights to explore and exploit hydrocarbons in the Illizi South area.

    The total investment of about $5.4bn will be fully financed by Midad Energy, including approximately $288m allocated to the exploration phase.

    Amid disruption to global LNG supplies from Qatar, Italy and Spain are currently in talks with Algeria in an effort to secure increased LNG shipments from the North African country.

    Algeria’s prime minister has also received requests from Asian countries, including Vietnam, seeking to secure both gas and oil shipments.

    It is unclear how much spare capacity Algeria has to supply LNG to new customers, as much of the country’s production is sold in advance under long-term supply agreements.

    However, current market conditions are still expected to increase the country’s revenues significantly, as Algiers is likely to be able to command much higher prices in any new agreements.

    While the ongoing war is expected to deepen the crisis for many companies operating in the GCC and Iraq oil and gas sector, the opposite could be true for companies established in Libya and Algeria.

    Although in recent years these two countries have been viewed as having more challenging business environments than the UAE or Saudi Arabia, companies that have invested in building positions in North Africa’s oil- and gas-exporting states could be well placed to make windfall profits.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16112991/main1320.png
    Wil Crisp
  • French contractor begins work on Morocco’s Noor Atlas project

    24 March 2026

     

    France-headquartered Eiffage is carrying out construction works on phase one of Morocco’s 305MW Noor Atlas solar photovoltaic (PV) programme, according to sources close to the project.

    Morocco’s National Office of Electricity & Drinking Water (Onee) and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) recently signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the programme covering the development, financing, construction, and operation of six solar PV power plants.

    The plants were tendered in two lots in 2022, covering the eastern and southern parts of the country.

    The first lot comprises the following four projects:

    • Ain Beni Mathar: 121MW
    • Enjil: 42MW
    • Boudnib: 33MW
    • Buonane: 29MW

    The second lot comprises two solar PV projects in Tan-Tan and Tata, with each having a planned capacity of 40MW.

    Eiffage, through its subsidiary Clemessy Maroc, previously carried out electrical works on Morocco’s Noor Tafilalt solar programme.

    However, it is understood that the contract for lot one is the company’s first role as full engineering, procurement and construction contractor for a solar project in the region.

    Local media reports previously said plants under the programme will be developed by consortiums comprising Moroccan and European companies.

    Contractor details for phase two of the project have not been disclosed. However, it is understood that construction work has begun, with the project scheduled to begin delivering electricity by July 2027.

    In 2025, Masen established a dedicated subsidiary (Noor Atlas Energy Company) to oversee the project’s implementation.

    Germany’s development bank KfW and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are providing concessional financing, while Bank of Africa is providing commercial financing (local) for the project.

    US/India-based Synergy Consulting is acting as consultant on the project.

    In May 2025, Onee obtained EIB financing of €170m and KfW financing of €130m to expand the national grid by 731  kilometres and increase its evacuation capacity by 1,850 MVA.

    EIB previously announced in 2018 that it is providing concessional financing of €129m under the ELM guarantee for Noor Atlas, against a total project cost of €272m.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16100781/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Oman issues more Sultan Haitham City construction tenders

    24 March 2026

    Oman’s Ministry of Housing & Urban Planning (MHUP) has released new construction packages covering road and public realm infrastructure for the first phase of the Sultan Haitham City project, located to the west of Muscat.

    The latest package to be tendered is the construction of transport network connectivity and utilities from Sultan Qaboos Road.

    The tender was floated on 13 March. The deadline for bid submission is 28 April.

    The scope covers the road connections linking Sultan Haitham City to Sultan Qaboos Road, as well as the associated civil and utilities scope.

    This includes bridges and grade-separated structures, utility buildings, stormwater and drainage assets, and medium- and low-voltage electrical installations. 

    Separately, MHUP has also tendered the delivery of a major green space within the development. The tender for the construction of a park and associated utilities was floated on 21 January, with a bid submission deadline of 3 May.

    The scope covers construction of the primary park spanning around 45 hectares, including related structures, landscaping and wet and dry utilities, as well as tie-ins to the project’s main services networks.

    The other package, also issued in January, covers landscaping works to the public realm of primary roads surrounding Neighbourhood 10. The bid submission deadline is 6 April.

    Earlier this month, Oman signed 17 international investment and development agreements worth over RO762m ($1.98bn) at the Mipim 2026 event held in Cannes, France.

    The deals were concluded through MHUP and partners at the Oman pavilion, and span mixed-use real estate, healthcare, agri-investment and digital planning tools.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16099787/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Sultan Al-Jaber calls Strait of Hormuz blockade “economic terrorism”

    24 March 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    The weaponisation of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran is an act of “economic terrorism”, with its global impact far beyond energy markets, Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and managing director and group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), has said at an energy industry conference in the US.

    Speaking at CERAWeek, taking place in Houston, Texas, Al-Jaber said that when the Strait of Hormuz is threatened, the human cost is exponential, and the consequences reach factories, farms and families around the world.

    Al-Jaber, who is also chairman of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), said “energy security is not just a slogan, it’s the difference between lights on and lights off”. He stressed that the world’s critical arteries must remain open and the Strait of Hormuz is one of those arteries.

    “Twenty-one miles wide. Twenty million barrels a day. Nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. Over a third of the world’s fertiliser. Almost a quarter of the world’s petrochemicals and significant amounts of industrial metals. In short, much of the oxygen of the global economy runs through a single throat. Yet, Iran believes that choking it is an acceptable strategy.

    “When Hormuz is squeezed, the pressure is immediately felt around the world. In just three weeks, the price of oil has risen by 50%. This is raising the cost of living for those who can least afford it and slowing economic growth everywhere. From factories, to farms, to families around the world, the human cost is mounting by the day,” Al-Jaber, who also serves as the executive chairman of Adnoc’s overseas investment vehicle XRG, remarked.

    “So let me be absolutely clear. Weaponising the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation. It is economic terrorism against every nation. And no country should be allowed to hold Hormuz hostage, not now, not ever. And while we appreciate all efforts to stabilise markets and reduce prices, this is not a supply issue. It is a security issue, and it has only one durable answer: keeping the Strait open. We cannot trade our way out of this crisis,” he stressed.

    Al-Jaber stressed the UAE did not ask for conflict and had taken every possible step to prevent it. “But when the moment came, we were ready. Our defences have been tested. Our resilience has been tested. Our character has been tested. And we withstood.

    ALSO READ: Adnoc Gas says operations continuing despite security incidents

    “At Adnoc, we took hits no civilian enterprise, let alone one focused on delivering energy to the world, should ever have to take. We are deploying extraordinary measures to keep our people safe and to make sure, as much as possible, every customer and every stakeholder gets what they need,” he said.

    “We will continue to defend our nation and our way of life. In fact, this experience has only reinforced our model of pragmatic progress, rooted in realism not ideology, steady in its course, practical in its approach and relentlessly focused on results.”

    Al-Jaber said the UAE and Adnoc’s resilience was not a reaction, but the result of years of investment in infrastructure, preparation and long-term planning and strategic partnerships. “For the UAE, partnership is not just something we do. It is who we are. Our commitments are concrete. Our word is our currency. And when it really matters, we step up and show up.

    “That is why our relationship with all our partners, including the United States, endure. Through Adnoc, XRG and Masdar we have already invested more than $85bn in US energy assets, supporting power generation, advanced chemicals and jobs across 19 states,” Al-Jaber said, adding the US offers a unique combination of resource depth and investment stability.

    “We are actively exploring opportunities across the whole value chain. And we are keen to expand our investments in hard infrastructure from storage to liquefaction to regasification plants.”

    Turning to the future, Al-Jaber said the crisis has revealed two very different visions. One seeks to spread instability. One seeks to promote prosperity. The UAE, he added, made its choice long ago.

    “We built Adnoc into one of the most reliable energy companies on Earth not because disruption never reaches our borders, but because when it does, we stay the course. That’s why we have diversified how we produce energy. We have expanded the routes that connect supply to markets.

    “We have integrated all sources of energy at scale. We have embedded technology and AI across our operations as the force multiplier that will define the next era of energy. And we have built a global network of partners who believe that energy security is a shared responsibility.”

    Photo: File image

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16098176/main5554.jpg
    Indrajit Sen