Who is Mohammad al-Bashir, Syria’s caretaker PM? What are his plans for war-hit nation?

After over 50 years of Assad family rule, Syria is set to be led by a little-known local politician.

Mohammad al-Bashir, who has been governing the rebel-controlled province of Idlib in northwest Syria since January, has been appointed the country’s interim leader. He has been tasked with steering the country towards stability.

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This comes after the recent ousting of long-time president Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces. The fall of Assad, who later sought refuge in Russia, marked the end of the Assad family’s half-century dominance over Syria.

Who is Mohammad al-Bashir?

Mohammad al-Bashir , an engineer in his early 40s, has been appointed to lead Syria’s national government during a critical transitional period.

Born in 1983 in Jabal al-Zawiya, Idlib province, Bashir grew up in a region that has been predominantly controlled in recent years by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied groups.

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His educational background includes degrees in electrical and electronic engineering from Aleppo University and Islamic and civil law from Idlib University. He also holds qualifications in English language and administrative planning, as well as project management, according to The Independent.

Before entering politics, he worked for Syria’s state gas company.

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In January 2024, Bashir became the head of the “Salvation Government,” a rebel administration established in Idlib in 2017 to manage services for the region’s population, isolated from government provisions. Before this role, he served as the administration’s “development minister.”

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The “Salvation Government” oversaw ministries, judicial systems, and security authorities in the rebel-controlled enclave, which faced challenges due to limited resources and ongoing conflict.

Bashir also served as the director of the Al-Amal educational institute, providing schooling for children affected by Syria’s prolonged civil war. His leadership now expands to the national stage as he seeks to unify a war-torn country of divided loyalties and widespread poverty.

The transition comes after a rebel offensive that began on November 27, during which major territories, including Aleppo and Damascus, fell from government control, leading to the ousting of long-time president Bashar al-Assad.

In his first public appearance outside Idlib, Bashir was seen alongside HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who praised Idlib’s governance and called for continuity with experienced members of the outgoing administration. He added that the new administration would also need to draw on experienced people from the outgoing government.

However, Bashir faces several challenges. He will have to deal with divided rebel factions, rival groups vying for power, and the urgent need to address poverty and infrastructure.

Radwan Ziadeh, a senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, stated that Bashir was “the closest” to Jolani and the rebel group’s joint operations room. But “the challenges he faces are very great”, Ziadeh told AFP.

“Just as the revolution was a revolution for all Syrians, the transitional process will be the responsibility of all Syrians in order to ensure it succeeds and guarantees the peaceful transition to democracy,” he said.

What are his plans for the country?

In his first interview after being appointed, Bashir told Al Jazeera that it was time to bring “stability and calm” to the country.

“Now it is time for this people to enjoy stability and calm,” he said.

Further, he told Al Jazeera, “Today we had a meeting for the cabinet and we invited members from the old government and some directors from the administration in Idlib and its surrounding areas, in order to facilitate all the necessary works for the next two months until we have a constitutional system to be able to serve the Syrian people.”

“We had other meetings to restart the institutions to be able to serve our people in Syria.”

The rebel leadership has set March 1 as the deadline for the transitional government’s tenure.

Rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who led the offensive against Assad, told British broadcaster Sky News that the country is “exhausted” by war.

He said, “Syria will be rebuilt… The country is moving towards development and reconstruction. It’s going towards stability.”

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The fall of Assad

Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after an Islamist-led opposition alliance captured Damascus, ending five decades of his family’s rule.

Jolani announced that talks on the transfer of power were underway and promised to hold Assad and senior officials accountable for torture and war crimes.

The regime’s collapse has caused a desperate search by families for the tens of thousands detained in Assad’s prisons. As the rebels progressed towards Damascus, they released thousands of prisoners, but many remain unaccounted for.

Freed detainees, many of whom were severely weakened by torture, illness, and hunger, now wander the streets of Damascus. The United Nations has stated that whoever assumes power in Syria must hold Assad and his associates responsible for their crimes.

With the end of nearly 14 years of civil war, triggered by a brutal crackdown and insurgency, thousands of Syrians flooded the streets, celebrating with gunfire and waving the revolutionary flag in scenes after the ouster of Assad.

With inputs from agencies