Syria's armed Bedouin say they have withdrawn from Druze-majority city of Sweida

South China Morning Post

7 days ago

Syria's armed Bedouin clans announced on Sunday they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida following weeklong clashes and a US-brokered ceasefire, as humanitarian aid convoys started to enter the battered southern city.
The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel
Syria's already fragile post-war transition.
Israel also launched dozens of air strikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouin.
The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouin.
A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings sparked the clashes in various towns and villages in the province, which later spread to Sweida city, the provincial capital. Government forces were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted on before withdrawing again.
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who has been perceived as more sympathetic to the Bedouin, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias. He later urged the Bedouin to leave the city, saying that they 'cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country's affairs and restoring security'.
'We thank the Bedouin for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state's orders,' he said in an address broadcast on Saturday.