Damascus, Syria — DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – Syria The interim leader on Saturday reshuffled several top government posts and removed his brother from a key post amid allegations of nepotism as his administration struggles to hold together a coalition. Nation divided after brutal civil war.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s brother, Maher al-Sharaa, served as Secretary-General of the Presidency in Damascus. The similarities began with his initial appointment last year Exercise under former Syrian President Bashar Assad and his father and predecessor Hafez Assad.
Ahmed al-Sharaa led a rebel attack that ousted Bashar Assad from power in December 2024 after nearly 14 years of civil war. During his rule, the younger Assad also placed family members, including his wife and brother, into influential positions.
Assad’s brother, Maher Assad, was commander of the Syrian Army’s 4th Armored Division – a unit that opposition activists accused of murder, torture, extortion and drug trafficking. Asma Assad, the former president’s wife, was head of the influential Syrian Trust for Development.
In an order on Saturday, al-Sharaa appointed Abdul Rahman Badreddine al-Aama, previously governor of Homs province, as his brother’s replacement, state news agency SANA reported.
It was not immediately clear what position, if any, Maher al-Sharaa would hold going forward. He is a physician who also previously served as Syria’s interim health minister.
Syria’s interim leader also appointed new governors for Homs, Latakia, Deir al-Zour and Quneitra provinces and a new information minister, Khaled Zarour, an academic who was most recently dean of the media faculty at Damascus University. He replaces former media executive Hamza Mustafa, who headed the private Syria TV network before becoming information minister.
