Macron meets with Syrian leader al-Sharaa

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, May 7, told visiting Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect all people in the multi-confessional country. Alarm over clashes that have left hundreds dead among minority communities have overshadowed the first months of the government that overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

Macron has been criticized for hosting a figure seen by some as a jihadist-turned-politician on his first official visit to a European country. But the French president insisted engagement was essential and offered hope of a gradual easing of the Assad-era sanctions against Damascus.

Sectarian clashes in March, in which more than 1,700 people were killed, mostly among Assad’s Alawite minority, sparked international condemnation and doubts over Syria’s new path. More recent clashes involving Druze fighters and NGO reports of abuses have also raised doubts about the interim government’s ability to control extremists.

Read more: Le Monde