Calm returns to Sweida after deadly sectarian clashes
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that since midnight, 'Sweida has been experiencing a cautious calm,' noting that government forces blocked key roads to prevent additional tribal fighters from entering the province. AFP correspondents stationed on the outskirts of Sweida city also reported no active fighting and said humanitarian convoys were preparing to enter the Druze-majority area.
At least 940 people have been killed, the Observatory said.
- Accusations against government forces -
Witnesses, Druze factions, and the Observatory accused Syrian government troops of siding with Bedouin fighters and committing serious abuses, including summary executions, when they advanced into Sweida earlier in the week.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a ceasefire on Saturday, promising to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. The interior ministry later confirmed that 'Sweida city was evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted.'
A spokesman for Syria's tribal and clan council told Al-Jazeera that fighters left the city 'in response to the call of the presidency and the terms of the agreement.'
A medic in Sweida, speaking anonymously to AFP, said on Sunday that 'the situation is totally calm... We aren't hearing clashes,' but added that 'no medical or relief assistance has entered until now.' Residents, estimated at 150,000, have reportedly been trapped in their homes for days without electricity, running water, or adequate food supplies.
- International involvement -
The United States announced it had helped negotiate the ceasefire between the Syrian government and 'Israel', which bombed Syrian government positions in Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. 'Israel' said its strikes were meant to defend the Druze community and press for the demilitarisation of southern Syria.
US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack warned that the country was at a 'critical juncture,' urging all sides to halt the violence. 'Peace and dialogue must prevail — and prevail now,' he wrote on X, calling on all armed groups to abandon 'cycles of tribal vengeance.'
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