Houla was a regular protest hub, even before army defectors formed the Free Syrian Army. The Syrian army had been accused of raiding and killing protesters in the Houla region before. But by May 2012 FSA or allied rebels were in general control of the area, according to both pro-government and anti-government sources. Der Spiegel was told over the winter "a unit of the Free Syrian Army took up residence (in Houla) and it has been considered liberated since then" although the state's army still controlled "roads into the town."Syria's My Lai: The Houla Massacre Marks a New Level of Violence By Ulrike Putz in Beirut, Der Spiegel, May 28, 2012. Accessed January 2, 2015 The UN's investigators only really considered Taldou, the southernmost town in Houla, and found "opposition forces may have been in control of parts of the city, mostly in the north."
