New SNC leader has Saudi links


Issue 974 - 18 Jul 2014 | 2 minute read

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) elected a new president to succeed Ahmad Jarba on 9 July, in the latest effort to inject momentum into an increasingly marginalised opposition. Hadi Al-Bahra is viewed as a smoother operator than Saudi-backed Jarba, who had served the maximum two six-month terms. While Jarba’s rural tribal connections (as a member of the cross-border Shammar tribe) worked well for the SNC’s chief funder Saudi Arabia, Bahra is viewed as the better diplomat; as head of the SNC’s Geneva peace talks negotiating team, he is also well known internationally.

Join our community

Sign up for an account to gain:

  • Set up news alerts on the countries and sectors that matter to you.
  • Free access to newsletter articles under 100 words.
  • Free access to GSN View articles articles.


View a selection of Free articles

Explore subscription options

Follow us on Google News