Story: Syria latest

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal dictatorship seemed a distant prospect two weeks ago. But Syria’s rebels completed a speedy and stunning march to power on Sunday, starting an uncertain new era for the country. For half a century, the Assad family ruled over Syria with an iron fist, with long-documented reports of mass incarceration torture, extra-judicial killings and atrocities against their own people. On Sunday, after 13 years of civil war that fractured the country, the regime came crashing down. Rebel fighters declared Damacus “liberated” in a video statement on state television, sending Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia. Many in the country are hopeful for Syria’s next chapter. But the rebels who now control Syria have a complicated past and offer an unpredictable future.Phemelo gets analysis on the latest from former diplomat and Director at RiskRecon, Dr Kingsley Makhubela.