‘Going to take decades’: Today co-host Sarah Abo reveals her thoughts on Syrian president fleeing to Russia

Today co-host Sarah Abo says there are fears over what will come next for Syrian refugees after President Bashar al Assad fled to Russia, claiming it will take “decades” to rebuild the country.

The Syrian President reportedly fled to Moscow after rebels moved in, with many residents rejoicing the end to oppression.

Abo, born in Damascus, said she was shocked at how quickly events had unfolded.

“This is something that a lot of the Syrian people have wanted to see happen,” Abo said.

“You know, they’ve been living under this brutal dictatorship, not just of Bashar al Assad, but obviously his father before him, Hafez, for 54 years.

“And in that time, so many people have lost their livelihoods, have lost their lives, indeed, in the past decade, at the very least.”

She and her family moved to Australia from Syria when she was just four years old more than 30 years ago and said she remembered her father telling her stories about when Hafez came into power when she was growing up.

“There were three coups before he was the president, and he was this sort of military strongman, and then this whole new dynasty of oppression just dawned on Syria,” she said.

She said Syrians had been living in fear and under oppression for decades, with the news of Mr Assad fleeing shocking the country.

“There’s a real combination of feelings, a lot of relief that the Assad regime is gone,” she said.

“It’s now over, it’s capitulated in such an incredible way, but also a real trepidation and actually a real fear for what’s to come because no one really knows what is coming now.”

She said Syrians who has fled the country as a result of the “horrific” war just wanted to return home; however it might not be so simple.

“There is also a sense of what are they going back to?” Abo said.

“Syria is a country that’s living with 90 per cent poverty, the infrastructure has been completely decimated, the homes that many of these refugees have fled from do not exist anymore.

“So to rebuild that country … it’s not going to take two years, this is going to take decades.”

Abo finished by expressing concern that Mr Assad might never be brought to justice.

“He needs to be brought to account, and I think the hope is absolutely dwindling now that he’s in Moscow, now that he’s been given asylum, that he may never face up to the atrocities that he’s presided over,” she said.