Building Syria’s New Ministry of Interior
By Gregory Waters
Executive Summary:
Syria’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) was built up from a small core of experienced and well‑trained officers operating in Idlib prior to the fall of the Assad regime and has reformed and grown into the country’s most important and successful security apparatus over the past 16 months. Yet the Ministry did not achieve this organisational maturity overnight.
With the country’s liberation on 8 December 2024, this nascent security apparatus inherited a complex spectrum of security challenges, while simultaneously needing to create new ministerial structures from scratch. It has evolved along three main tracks: recruitment, training and structure. Each evolution has had immediate effects on the ground, reflecting the centrality of the Ministry in the daily lives of Syrians. The continued adaptability and evolution of these three tracks will be crucial if the Ministry hopes to continue its positive trajectory.
