Syrian President Bashar al-Assad named on Monday Mohammad Khalid al-Hannous as the new governor of the southern Daraa governorate which has witnessed unprecedented turmoil recently, the official SANA news agency reported.
The Daraa city, 100 km south to Damascus has witnessed bloody clashes between the security forces and protesters in the past three weeks, causing the death of dozens from both sides, DPA reported.
Angry protesters took to the streets, calling for reform and political freedom. They also attacked the house of Daraa's former governor Faisal Ahmad Kolthoum who was sacked by the president later.
Assad's decision comes within a series of reform procedures announced recently by the Syrian government to contain the wave of protests in different part of the country.
On Sunday, Assad appointed former Agriculture Minister Adel Safar to form a new government in succession of the former premier Mohammad Naji Otri who has headed the government for eight years.
Meanwhile, thousands of anti-government protesters marched in the Damascus suburb of Douma on Sunday, participating in the funeral of nine Syrians killed Friday during clashes with the security forces, the media reports said.
According to SANA, "an armed group" opened fire from rooftops on hundreds of citizens and security forces in Douma, killing one citizen and wounding dozens of civilians and security forces.
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