Mahmoud, a merchant, stands monitoring the traffic flow on the Jdeidat Artouz road in the Baramkeh district, volunteering to organize traffic since the fall of the regime, after police traffic officers were replaced by a group of volunteers.
Mahmoud told Enab Baladi that he works an average of 8 hours a day in the Baramkeh district, hoping to alleviate the burden of the traffic crisis and the chaos that the capital Damascus is experiencing, especially the disputes between car owners and bus drivers that he tries to resolve “peacefully” to prevent violence.
Enab Baladi attempted to contact the Traffic Division of the Ministry of Interior regarding the traffic chaos and the absence of traffic police, but did not receive a response from the concerned authorities.
The city of Damascus is experiencing chaos in traffic organization due to buses changing their routes without approval and entering side streets, in addition to cars parking in prohibited areas.
A volunteer organizing traffic in the Baramkeh district of Damascus – February 2025 (Enab Baladi)
No one wants to be a traffic policeman
“I work here alone,” said the defector traffic policeman Amer al-Khadr, whom Enab Baladi met at the Victoria Bridge junction during their tour of the capital Damascus.
According to al-Khadr, the police officers currently deployed in the streets of Damascus cover less than 5% of the neighborhoods in the capital, which is why they concentrate in the most crowded areas.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior allocated about 400 officers to control traffic chaos in Damascus, but none of them came to work, as most volunteers in the police prefer to work in general security management or police stations, and no one wants to work as a traffic policeman, according to al-Khadr.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior sent out a second batch of officers including 400 traffic policemen on February 5, 2025.
Victoria Bridge and the most crowded governorate
“It took about two hours to travel from the Nahr Aisha area to al-Muhafaza Square, and I still didn’t arrive,” recounted Abu Shadi to Enab Baladi about his struggle with the traffic congestion around Victoria Bridge while working as a bus driver for employees.
Abu Shadi hopes that Damascus will be equipped with more traffic police to manage the chaos, suggesting that even previous personnel could be reinstated, as in his opinion, the new administration can control the “corrupt” elements.
Meanwhile, Abu Ammar, a public bus driver who avoids entering the capital unless absolutely necessary to steer clear of traffic incidents and quarrels with drivers who break traffic rules, does not wish for the return of previous personnel due to their corruption.
The city of Damascus has accustomed itself to traffic congestion in the areas of Victoria Bridge and al-Muhafaza Square, but the scene has become increasingly congested with the absence of police officers at traffic junctions connecting al-Marja Square, Victoria Bridge, and al-Muhafaza Square.
Traffic congestion at the Victoria Bridge junction in Damascus – February 2025 (Enab Baladi)
Traffic situation since the fall of the regime
Traffic police officers abandoned their posts after the announcement of the fall of the regime on December 8, 2024.
In the days following the fall of Assad’s regime, residents participated in organizing traffic due to the absence of traffic police in the cities.
Youth volunteer groups emerged for this purpose, which received training through intensive courses in traffic management under the supervision of the new administration, which provided them with equipment in cooperation with the Sened organization.
Ministry of Interior opens its doors
The Syrian Ministry of Interior opened enrollment to the Police Academy on December 16, 2024, and set several conditions for accepting applicants, which include:
- The applicant must be at least 20 years old and not exceed 30 years.
- The applicant must not have been convicted of any heinous crime.
- The applicant must have at least a preparatory certificate or its equivalent.
- The applicant must be in good health with a sound physique and physically fit.
- The applicant must pass the necessary training courses.
- The applicant must be at least 168 centimeters tall.
The Military Operations Administration entered Damascus on December 8, 2024, and toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime, not relying on the personnel of the Ministry of Interior affiliated with the previous regime’s government.