“In Raqqa, Syria, life is even more difficult today than under Daesh”

Documentarian Hélène Lam Trong returned to the former capital of the Islamic State, in Syria. Part of international aid is diverted and the population lacks everything. “Raqqa, the shadow of Daesh” is broadcast this Sunday evening on France 3.

Pour Raqqa, the shadow of Daeshjournalist Hélène Lam Trong chose to return to this Syrian city which was the capital of the Islamic State caliphate for three years. In this remarkable story, she shows how the destiny of this city is intimately linked to ours: if the international coalition offensive made it possible to liberate Raqqa, everything is not resolved for the civilians abandoned to their fate, in a city bombed by air raids, 80% razed… Meeting with the director, winner of the 2023 Albert-Londres prize for her documentary Daesh, the ghost children.

Return to Raqqa, martyr city

“I went to Raqqa in 2022 to shoot my previous film there. During this investigation into foreign jihadists and their children, I realized that the history of this city made it possible to understand how events, apparently independent of each other, were intimately linked: the Arab Spring uprising versus to the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian revolution, the emergence of Daesh in 2014, the attacks here, the fall of the Islamic State…

Terrorism in Europe is not a “spontaneous” phenomenon. Daesh chose to establish itself in this small town in Syria, isolated, planted in the desert – this continues to fascinate me even though I have been working on it for years. Tens of thousands of people from all over the world, including thousands of French people, have decided to come there. By returning to Raqqa this year, I wanted to understand how its inhabitants were able to experience and intellectualize the arrival of individuals from Great Britain, Finland or Uzbekistan to establish an Islamic state among them. I wanted to remind people that the Raqqawis, who are much more like us than we think, were confronted with the same barbarity that we experienced during the attacks in France, faced with these jihadist fighters united around a terrorist project. »

A double propaganda: terrorize the West, make Raqqa vibrate

“From our Western perspective, Daesh’s propaganda videos and beheaded people are all terrifying. Those intended for Europe were intended to terrorize us. But there are others, targeting Syrians, dedicated to thrilling them, reassuring them… After the “Syrian revolution” in 2013, and two years of total insecurity, Daesh wanted to offer the Raqqawis a little “security” : in its propaganda clips, the organization showed that its members could restore electricity and improve the drinking water network. They even organized sort of happenings in the street, with fireworks and games, like “musical chairs”. Faced with a population needing to cling to some form of ideal, faced with emptiness, the jihadists managed to conquer this city which was already in immense suffering. »

Rather rare in front of the cameras, tribal leaders testify

“One of those who speak in the film is clearly a Daesh sympathizer: he makes no secret of it. The others are not. These very powerful tribal leaders are responsible for the security of their clan, which can number up to hundreds of thousands of people. So when you are a tribal leader, you think twice before opposing Daesh: some, like the Chaitat in the province of Deir ez-Zor, dared to rebel in June 2014. Their leaders were beheaded almost immediately , and seven hundred members of the clan were massacred in two weeks – images of this mass crime were later broadcast online. The terror that jihadists inspire in their potential opponents is such that there has been very little resistance. But that doesn't mean everyone agrees with his ideology. »

In 2024, the war is not over.

The survival of “sleeping cells”

“In 2024, the war is not over. What is sad about Raqqa is that life there today is worse than under the regime of Bashar al-Assad and under Daesh, when it should be quite the opposite. Located in territory controlled by Kurdish forces who defeated the Islamic State, Raqqa however depends on the Syrian regime, which confiscates international aid from NGOs. Since being liberated from the Islamists, the inhabitants of Raqqa have led an extremely harsh daily life. The economy is on the ground. People don't have enough to eat. There is no running water everywhere, the electricity only works for a few hours a day. A huge number of schools are closed, whereas before the arrival of the Islamic State, education was not a subject: all children were in school. As Faris says, one of the protagonists, an associative activist, the current issue and the main moral commitment is to help children who have only known war. Raqqa faces another problem: the presence of Daesh sympathizers infiltrated into the city. These sleeper cells which have managed to remain in the shadows carry out attacks and bombings. After the liberation, there was no real intention of reconstruction from the international community. Today, not only has terrorism not been eradicated, but the threat of a return of Daesh is becoming more and more present. »

Sunday November 24 at 9:05 p.m. on France 5

Complicated filming conditions
Filming in Raqqa in 2024 remains complicated, and expensive – with a Syrian technical team of around ten people, several translators, not forgetting the fixers. The director spent almost a month on site, last April, to make this documentary produced by Tohubohu, which France Télévisions broadcasts in prime time in The world in front. However, it qualifies risk-taking: “From a security point of view, it’s clearly not the worst place in the world to go and shoot today,” believes Hélène Lam Trong. She salutes the hospitality of the inhabitants: “Even if the war remains very close geographically, we were extremely well received by the Raqqawis. Not many people come to see them anymore since the end of the war against Daesh. The disinterest in them was almost immediate after the fall of the caliphate in 2017. A disinterest commensurate with the level of international relief in the face of threats of terrorist attacks. We did not meet any colleagues there. » Foreign journalists and media seem to have deserted this area.