President Ahmed al-Shara vowed to be inclusive, but the way crucial decisions have been made has left some Syrians wary.

He had spent the day with the leaders of Syria’s myriad armed factions, trying to persuade them to disband. Over seven weeks after the fall of Damascus, the fate of these groups is still uncertain. His aides claim that all militias will be dissolved and then absorbed into a new national army.

Sharaa, on Wednesday abolished the country’s constitution and declared himself president during a meeting of armed factions in Damascus. The former rebel leader will “assume the duties of the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic and represent it in international forums,

The Syrian rebel group that ousted Bashar al-Assad last month dissolved parliament, dismantled the country’s armed apparatus and appointed its de facto leader the country’s new president, a series of moves meant to clear the way for a political transition,