Syrians were facing a new political reality on Sunday after rebels took the capital Damascus, ending the two-decade regime of president Bashar al-Assad, who was reported to have fled the country for Moscow.

Syria’s multifaith and multiethnic population sees itself poised on a moment that could tip either into chaos or cohesion. The country’s Sunni Muslims, Shiite Alawites, Christians and ethnic Kurds have often been pitted against each,

Assad collapsed over the weekend without a fight, Damascus slipped into a power vacuum that saw the pillaging of the deposed president’s ornate palace, some government buildings and the homes of high-ranking officials.