SYRIA’S interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under jihadist rule while supposedly protecting the rights of all Syrians during a five-year transitional phase.

The interim rulers have been unable to exert their authority across much of the country since Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning offensive that overthrew president Bashar al-Assad in December.

There have been horrific reports of massacres being carried out by forces of the new regime against the minority Alawite population. This include allegations that families have been burned alive and children executed.