Latest news with #Druze-majority
The National
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
'We will never go back': Bedouin families forced into permanent exile after Sweida violence
Khitam Hawarin, an 18-year-old Bedouin from the town of Shahba in Syria 's Druze-majority province of Sweida, said she lay soaked in her own blood for more than an hour. She recalls watching helplessly as her mother's corpse burnt beside her, after Druze fighters had opened fire on her family. The assailants killed her mother, her aunt, her uncle's wife, her grandmother and two cousins, including one who was only six years old, as they hid behind a stone wall. 'Everyone died, except for me,' she said two weeks later, her arm and leg wrapped in white gauze, her movements sluggish with pain and grief. The young Syrian survived only because Druze neighbours intervened, taking her to a nearby hospital. 'They told people I was their daughter and changed my name so no one would know I was Bedouin,' she said. Armed men from Druze factions had been roaming the hospital, threatening to kill any Bedouin they found. 'There are good Druze and bad Druze,' Khitam said candidly. 'The ones who attacked us were armed. The ones who saved me weren't.' She spoke little, still visibly in shock, her brown eyes heavy with sorrow. Khitam and her family were evacuated days later in a humanitarian convoy. The girl, who was supposed to take her baccalaureate exam this summer, is now living in a classroom in Izraa, in Syria's Deraa governorate, as a displaced person. She no longer sees a future for herself. The school is one of 64 displacement centres hosting thousands of families who fled the vicious sectarian violence that erupted two weeks ago between Druze militants and armed Bedouin. What began as retaliatory attacks between two long-standing rivals escalated rapidly, as Syrian troops entered the fray on July 16. Druze factions, who distrust the new authorities led by a now-disarmed rebel group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda, accused Syrian forces of siding with Sunni Bedouin and mobilised to repel them. The violence soon engulfed the entire Sweida region, killing more than 1,300 people, including civilians from both sides, general security forces, tribesmen and Druze gunmen, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, Though a ceasefire between Druze leaders and Damascus was announced on July 19, civilians are still reeling from the conflict and the situation remains unstable. No return Though Druze civilians were the primary targets of the sectarian clashes, Bedouin families were also subjected to summary executions, according to testimonies gathered on the ground. The National could not independently verify all witness accounts. Bedouin families accused the faction aligned with Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, the influential Druze religious leader and vocal critic of Syrian authorities, of being behind the violations. Sweida governorate, home to about 700,000 people, includes a small Bedouin minority. Families interviewed by The National said they had lived peacefully alongside their Druze neighbours for years. They described the recent violence as a turning point, one that is irreversible. 'This is a departure with no return. It's truly a change in the religious and cultural make-up of the region,' Cedric Labrousse, a specialist in Syrian affairs, told The National. 'If you remove those who left voluntarily, those who were evacuated in recent days, and those still trying to flee, there won't be many Bedouin left here in a few weeks. Most Bedouin homes have been burnt. So even if they return, where would they go?' He said what had long been a localised feud between some Druze armed groups and certain Bedouin factions has now taken on a deeply sectarian dimension. 'It wasn't really there before, but now it's been implanted and it will stay in people's minds,' Mr Labrousse warned. 'Just imagine what Bedouin children will think of the Druze after this. And imagine what Druze children will think of the Bedouin in 20 years.' Hind, Khitam's sister, said she saw a missile tear a child apart. 'His head flew one way, his body another, right in front of my eyes,' she said. 'We can't go back. There's no way we can ever return." Their home has been looted and burnt down. Meanwhile, in a Druze-majority village, tribal fighters daubed graffiti on walls that read 'down with the collaborators, down with the Druze pigs'. In Sweida, The National also collected harrowing accounts from Druze civilians who survived attacks and summary executions, which they said were committed by Syrian troops and tribal gunmen. 'I don't see how trust between the two communities can ever be restored,' Mr Labrousse said. Marginalised community Mr Labrousse said the conflict between some Druze and Bedouin started as a trade rivalry. 'For years, Sweida has relied on smuggling, drugs, fuel, weapons … control over trafficking routes has always been critical, even before the civil war,' he said. He said that during the war, the smuggling business, particularly Captagon trafficking, expanded significantly, involving Druze and Bedouin groups. Their alliances often shifted, with groups alternating between business partners and rivals. He said that after former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad's fall, many cartels, storage sites and Captagon warehouses were dismantled'. 'This led to the collapse of the informal economy, the main source of livelihood in marginalised Sweida. Druze and Bedouin groups began fighting over a shrinking pool of resources, further fuelling tensions." But this time the feud took on a sectarian dimension. On one hand, 'the Bedouin have been gradually pushed to the margins of Druze society,' Mr Labrousse explained. 'The Druze had organised themselves, with their own local administration, while the Bedouin felt increasingly excluded, neglected, and marginalised.' On the other hand, the Druze remain distrustful of the new Syrian government, citing its Sunni Islamist roots, and view the new Syrian government as more sympathetic to the Bedouin. The Druze are a minority religious group that emerged from a branch of Islam, with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Some hardline Sunni Muslims consider them heretics. Their distrust has deepened as the Syrian Ministry of Defence continues to struggle to rein in a patchwork of factions, some of them radical, despite pledges of unification. In March, nearly 1,500 mostly Alawites citizens, the minority sect to which former Mr Al Assad belongs, were killed in a spree of sectarian violence, reportedly involving groups recently integrated into the army. At the start of the recent clashes, thousands of tribesmen from across Syria deployed to Sweida to support Bedouin fighters opposing Druze factions. 'Some of them had clear sectarian motives,' Mr Labrousse said. They stayed in the area for days despite calls from interim President Ahmad Al Shara to withdraw. 'I can't trust anyone' Assaf Mohammad Dahmash, a Bedouin man at a displacement centre, said he would never return to Sweida, a place he had called home since 2016 when he fled from ISIS in Deir Ezzor. 'They're capable of doing bad things. Not all of them, some are truly good people. But I don't think anyone can trust any more,' he said. 'It's become pure sectarianism. Like, if they see a Sunni, they will slaughter them. I heard a sheikh say that with my own ears." He said he had good relationships with his Druze neighbours in Sweida, whom he may never see again. 'I called my friend yesterday, we've known each other since 2016. We used to eat and drink coffee together. He was crying on the phone. His house was looted and his car was burnt. He told me to come back to Sweida but it's impossible.' A member of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, providing humanitarian assistance at one of the shelter centres, said the number of displaced people was still rising and there is no plan for what comes next. In the displacement centres, families are too shocked to even think about it. 'People here have no hope, no ambition. They just want shelter, wherever it may be,' said Mr Dahmash.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- General
- L'Orient-Le Jour
New aid convoy enters Sweida
A new humanitarian aid convoy reached southern Syria's Druze heartland on Monday, official media said, as the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation in Sweida province was critical after deadly violence. Clashes in Druze-majority Sweida province, which began on July 13 and ended with a cease-fire a week later, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, who have been at loggerheads for decades. But government forces intervened on the side of the Bedouin, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, which said the violence killed more than 1,400 people, mostly Druze, and accused government personnel of summarily executing more than 250 Druze civilians. State television said Monday's Syrian Red Crescent convoy was the third of its kind to reach the province, publishing images of trucks crossing into the region. State news agency SANA said the 27-truck convoy "contains 200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits, 1,000 food baskets" as well as medical and other food supplies. The effort was a cooperation between "international organisations, the Syrian government and the local community". Although the cease-fire has largely held, the U.N.'s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said Monday that the humanitarian situation in Sweida province "remains critical amid ongoing instability and intermittent hostilities". "Humanitarian access, due to roadblocks, insecurity and other impediments (...) remains constrained, hampering the ability of humanitarians to assess need thoroughly and to provide critical life-saving assistance on a large scale," OCHA said in a statement. It said the violence, which resulted in power and water outages and shortages of food, medicine and fuel, had displaced at least 176,000 people. An AFP photographer in Sweida city said residents were waiting in long lines outside bakeries that were still open. Local news outlet Sweida 24 reported that "the humanitarian needs in Sweida are dire", saying many more aid convoys were needed for the stricken province. On Sunday, the outlet published a warning from local civil and humanitarian groups of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Sweida, adding that the province "is under a suffocating, escalating siege imposed by the authorities" that has led to a severe lack of basic supplies. The Observatory said Monday that government forces were deployed in parts of the province but said that goods were unable to enter due to the ongoing closure of the Sweida-Damascus highway as government-affiliated armed groups were obstructing traffic. On Sunday, SANA quoted Sweida provincial governor Mustafa al-Bakkur as saying that aid convoys were entering Sweida province normally and that "the roads are unobstructed for the entry of relief organisations to the province".
The Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
New aid convoy reaches Syria's Druze province amid crisis
DAMASCUS: A new humanitarian aid convoy arrived in southern Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province on Monday, state media reported, as the United Nations raised alarms over the worsening crisis in the region. The delivery comes after weeks of deadly violence that displaced thousands and left critical shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. State television broadcast footage of trucks entering the province, marking the third such convoy since clashes erupted earlier this month. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent coordinated the effort, which included 27 trucks carrying 200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits, and 1,000 food baskets, according to state news agency SANA. The supplies were provided through cooperation between international organisations, the Syrian government, and local groups. Despite a ceasefire, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Sweida's situation remains dire. 'Humanitarian access... remains constrained, hampering the ability of humanitarians to assess need thoroughly and to provide critical life-saving assistance on a large scale,' OCHA said in a statement. The violence has displaced at least 176,000 people, with reports of power outages and severe shortages of essentials. Local media outlet Suwayda 24 described conditions as 'dire,' calling for more aid convoys to address the escalating crisis. On Sunday, civil groups warned of a 'humanitarian catastrophe,' accusing authorities of imposing a suffocating siege that has blocked basic supplies. While Sweida's governor claimed aid was entering normally, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that government-affiliated armed groups were obstructing traffic on the Sweida-Damascus highway, preventing goods from reaching affected areas. – AFP
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
- General
- Al-Ahram Weekly
New aid convoy enters south Syria Druze-majority province - Region
A new humanitarian aid convoy reached southern Syria's Druze heartland on Monday, official media said, as the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation in Sweida province was critical after deadly violence. Clashes in Druze-majority Sweida province, which began on July 13 and ended with a ceasefire a week later, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, who have been at loggerheads for decades. But government forces intervened on the side of the Bedouin, according to witnesses, experts and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, which said the violence killed more than 1,400 people, mostly Druze, and accused government personnel of summarily executing more than 250 Druze civilians. State television said Monday's Syrian Red Crescent convoy was the third of its kind to reach the province, publishing images of trucks crossing into the region. State news agency SANA said the 27-truck convoy "contains 200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits, 1,000 food baskets" as well as medical and other food supplies. The effort was a cooperation between "international organisations, the Syrian government and the local community". Although the ceasefire has largely held, the UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA, said Monday that the humanitarian situation in Sweida province "remains critical amid ongoing instability and intermittent hostilities". "Humanitarian access, due to roadblocks, insecurity and other impediments... remains constrained, hampering the ability of humanitarians to assess need thoroughly and to provide critical life-saving assistance on a large scale," OCHA said in a statement. It said the violence, which resulted in power and water outages and shortages of food, medicine and fuel, had displaced at least 176,000 people. An AFP photographer in Sweida city said residents were waiting in long lines outside bakeries that were still open. Local news outlet Suwayda 24 reported that "the humanitarian needs in Sweida are dire", saying many more aid convoys were needed for the stricken province. On Sunday, the outlet published a warning from local civil and humanitarian groups of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Sweida, adding that the province "is under a suffocating, escalating siege imposed by the authorities" that has led to a severe lack of basic supplies. The Observatory said Monday that government forces were deployed in parts of the province but said that goods were unable to enter due to the ongoing closure of the Sweida-Damascus highway as government-affiliated armed groups were obstructing traffic. On Sunday, SANA quoted Sweida provincial governor Mustafa al-Bakkur as saying that aid convoys were entering Sweida province normally and that "the roads are unobstructed for the entry of relief organisations to the province". Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Syria set to hold parliamentary election in September
Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral commission has told state news agency SANA. Voting for the 210-member People's Assembly is scheduled to take place between September 15 and 20, said Mohamed Taha, who is overseeing the electoral process, on Sunday. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received a draft electoral law that amends a previous decree and raises the number of seats from 150 to 210. A third of the seats will be appointed by the president. The government has pledged broad representation and said it will allow foreign observers to monitor electoral committees overseeing the vote. Officials said areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida, would continue to have seats allocated based on population. The new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process, which critics say currently lacks sufficient participation from minority groups. It will also be tasked with approving landmark legislation aimed at overhauling decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratifying treaties that could reshape Syria's foreign policy alliances. In March, Syria issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period under Sharaa's leadership. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women's rights and freedom of expression. It raised concerns of civic groups and Western nations about the concentration of power among the country's Islamist-led leadership. Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral commission has told state news agency SANA. Voting for the 210-member People's Assembly is scheduled to take place between September 15 and 20, said Mohamed Taha, who is overseeing the electoral process, on Sunday. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received a draft electoral law that amends a previous decree and raises the number of seats from 150 to 210. A third of the seats will be appointed by the president. The government has pledged broad representation and said it will allow foreign observers to monitor electoral committees overseeing the vote. Officials said areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida, would continue to have seats allocated based on population. The new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process, which critics say currently lacks sufficient participation from minority groups. It will also be tasked with approving landmark legislation aimed at overhauling decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratifying treaties that could reshape Syria's foreign policy alliances. In March, Syria issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period under Sharaa's leadership. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women's rights and freedom of expression. It raised concerns of civic groups and Western nations about the concentration of power among the country's Islamist-led leadership. Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral commission has told state news agency SANA. Voting for the 210-member People's Assembly is scheduled to take place between September 15 and 20, said Mohamed Taha, who is overseeing the electoral process, on Sunday. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received a draft electoral law that amends a previous decree and raises the number of seats from 150 to 210. A third of the seats will be appointed by the president. The government has pledged broad representation and said it will allow foreign observers to monitor electoral committees overseeing the vote. Officials said areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida, would continue to have seats allocated based on population. The new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process, which critics say currently lacks sufficient participation from minority groups. It will also be tasked with approving landmark legislation aimed at overhauling decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratifying treaties that could reshape Syria's foreign policy alliances. In March, Syria issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period under Sharaa's leadership. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women's rights and freedom of expression. It raised concerns of civic groups and Western nations about the concentration of power among the country's Islamist-led leadership. Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral commission has told state news agency SANA. Voting for the 210-member People's Assembly is scheduled to take place between September 15 and 20, said Mohamed Taha, who is overseeing the electoral process, on Sunday. President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received a draft electoral law that amends a previous decree and raises the number of seats from 150 to 210. A third of the seats will be appointed by the president. The government has pledged broad representation and said it will allow foreign observers to monitor electoral committees overseeing the vote. Officials said areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida, would continue to have seats allocated based on population. The new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process, which critics say currently lacks sufficient participation from minority groups. It will also be tasked with approving landmark legislation aimed at overhauling decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratifying treaties that could reshape Syria's foreign policy alliances. In March, Syria issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period under Sharaa's leadership. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women's rights and freedom of expression. It raised concerns of civic groups and Western nations about the concentration of power among the country's Islamist-led leadership.
