The city of Salamiyya lives in fear these days. People are too scared to leave their homes. The streets are empty and quiet, and most of the city’s young men have left in order to avoid serving in the regime’s army.

Ahmad, one of Salamiyya’s residents, lives in constant fear. He says that he is so scared that he does not open the door for anyone, unless he confirms his or her identity. “We do not leave our houses after six o’clock in the evening because the street lights have been turned off by that time. We onlycarry money if we absolutely have to, because we are too scared of theft and kidnapping,” he added.

Fear Has Changed the Face of the City

Before 2011, the city of Salamiyya was known for its busy markets and cheap goods. Hama Street, the main street in the city, was the place where people met, strolled and had fun until midnight.

Since the war began, and the since the armed,pro-regime gangs took control of the city, Salamiyya turns into a dark, empty desert in the evening.

A few months ago, two young women were abducted in the middle of the day from al-Thawra Street, one of the city’s major streets. They were dragged into a black van, and they disappeared for nearly a month.

What happened to the women? “We were on our way back from work, when a group of young men grabbed us and forced us into a black van. We did not even have the time to scream,” answered Rawan and Abeer.

After a month, the girls’ families managed to pay a ransom, and had their daughters returned to them. To this day, no one knows who the kidnappers were, but there are many indications that pointing in the same direction. “The kidnappers were armed, which means that they either belonged to the People Committees, or they are from the powerful and well-connected Salama family,” said the girls.

Who is the Salama Family?

The Salama family is a pro-regime, armed family whose roots go back to the village of al-Mahrousa, west of the city of Hama. They belong to the Alawite sect, and they have relatives in al-Sabboura in rural Salamiyya. They have had many clashes with the people of Salamiyya, the People Committees, and even with the city’s thugs.+

The Family became an armed faction in 2013, along with other families in rural Salamiyya, such as the Hamdan, Dardar, and al-Saleh families.

According to people in Salamiyya, the Salama family carries out thefts and kidnappings. They control the whole area, and no one can stand oppose them. They steal, abduct people, and shoot at people for any reason that suits them.

They recently clashed with the Zeino family in Salamiyya, and the dispute led to random shooting in the streets, and turned into a cycle of revenge between the two families.

Failed Abduction

“I was a victim to a kidnapping attempt. It was 9:00 at night, and it happened right in front of my house. They were several men, and three of them held me and tried to put me in their car. It was a black Mazda Zoom. I resisted for a long time and they started to beat me up. The fight was loud, and when people came out of their houses, the kidnappers ran away,” said Ahmad, a man from Salamiyya.

The timing of the incident, the location, and the car brand all lead people in Salamiyyato direct their accusations to Salama family.

Lack of Security is not the Only Issue

Lack of electricity is another issue that affects people’s lives in Salamiyya, which is located in a strategic area between Hama and Homs. Electricity is available for no more than a half hour every six hours.

“We are not asking to have electricity all the time. We want to be treated the way other areas are. We are fine with a clear and regular electricity savings program, so that we can go on with our lives,” said a man who lives in Salamiyya.

“Everything in our lives relies on electricity, from heating to internet communications,” he added.

“We cannot tell which power station provides our area with electricity anymore. Although officially we are a part of the governorate of Hama, the city of Hama itself has much more access to electricity, and when something goes wrong in the village of al-Mukharram, which is supposedly a part of the governorate of Homs, we lose electricity for days,” said some of the city’s residents.

The most dangerous consequence of not having electricity is that the street lights go off at night, which provides thieves, kidnappers, and thugs with anideal environment to paractice their craft. This, in turn has kept women from leaving their houses at night.

Fear of getting abducted is something that Rudayna, a woman living in Salamiyya, has also expressed to us. When asked how her life has changed because of the lack of electricity, she said, “the change is so big, and cannot be described with few words.”

The recent military advancements of the Islamic State to the east of Salamiyya, have increased people’s fears-- the Islamic State has recently taken over the village of ShaykhHilal, had fierce fighting with the regime’s forces, and bombed the village of al-mfaker, located only 18 kilometers from Salamiyya, which led many of its displaced people to move to Salamiyya.