This is only his second post on Facebook since the fall his cousin, Syrian President Bashar Assad, on Dec. 8. And it's a separatist declaration. Rami Makhlouf, once the most powerful businessman in Syria before falling from grace, had already spoken on March 9 to denounce massacres against Alawites committed notably by members of the new security forces on the coast, a stronghold of the community, after an attack by loyalist factions against the Assad clan.

He also criticized Maher Assad's Fourth Division, the deposed president's brother, which should have expected a violent reaction from the new regime — led by the Islamists of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, including his cousin himself, "the fugitive president" who "destroyed and divided the country, destroyed the army and the economy and starved his people" before "fleeing with money that, if distributed among the people, would have left no one hungry or poor."At the time, he announced he was working on "radical solutions" to prevent the repetition of such abuses and ensure the safety and security of all in these regions. Now, the billionaire has presented his plan to achieve this.

Armed forces for the 'coastal region'

In a lengthy message posted on Sunday, April 27 on his Facebook account, Makhlouf positions himself as the defender of the Alawite community, a role long monopolized by the Assad clan, announcing the formation of an armed force of nearly 150,000 elite fighters and 15 military divisions, in addition to a reserve of similar size. Aimed at defending the "coastal region," he further claims to have allied with Suheil al-Hassan, nicknamed "The Tiger," a commander of the special forces under the Assad regime now wanted by Damascus and close to Russia. With the formation of popular committees gathering a million people in the "coastal region," it posed a new challenge to transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who is trying to centralize his power. He proposed discussions with the Syrian government to find arrangements. "You have been unable to protect us from massacres, killings, kidnappings and captivity that continue to this day," Makhlouf wrote, yet "reaching out for a new era." Wishing to capitalize on the fears of other minority communities, the former strongman of the Assad regime called on his compatriots to "come together to fight an enemy called poverty," advocating reconciliation.

On the other hand, he also calls on the international community, led by Russia, to take charge of the coastal region to place it under its protectorate, as abuses against Alawite civilians continue. Under U.S. sanctions since 2008, Makhlouf thus asks his "friends" to contact the Damascus government to find a joint action mechanism, as he adopted the former Syrian flag as the emblem of the "coastal region." Some observers noted that his message was broadcast from the U.A.E., a country that normalized relations with Syria under Bashar Assad, and may have served as a stopover for the ousted president's escape, his relatives and assets, before they reached Russia. Rumors also circulated about Maher Assad's presence in the emirate federation after the regime's fall. Two sources from the Jaysh al-Islam faction, now integrated into the regular Syrian forces, claimed on Monday, April 28, to AFP that their leader, Issam Buwaydani, was arrested at Dubai airport a few days earlier while leaving the Emirates after a private visit. Although Abu Dhabi has not confirmed the arrest of this official within the Syrian Defense Ministry, the aforementioned sources stated that Damascus had contacted the Emirati federation. Others, however, believe that Makhlouf is still on the Syrian coast.

New leader of the Alawites?

"We were wronged under the previous regime and massacred under the new one," wrote Makhlouf, claiming a "right to defend ourselves" for the Alawite community. Assimilated to the Assad regime, from which the ruling family hailed, part of the Alawites, however, has far from benefited from the privileges granted to the ruling clan's relatives. Wanting to pose as the new leader of the community, addressing both supporters of the former regime and those who suffered in silence, Makhlouf recalled in his message that he had warned a few years ago that the regime's collapse was imminent and that if this "impostor" Assad had not sidelined him, he would have ensured Syria did not fall.

"We supported the country militarily, economically, socially and administratively, preventing the army from collapsing during the war, always correcting the errors of those boys who drowned the country in injustice, corruption and burdened the people with suffering, poverty and drugs." Makhlouf even mentioned "betrayal" and "humiliation" when his cousin turned against him in 2020, ordering the seizure of his assets on the pretext of tax evasion and financial misdeeds.