While the violence in Suwayda is not as severe right now as it was earlier this month, the situation is far from resolved, and truce violations continue to be reported regularly. Some 1,448 people are now confirmed to have been killed in the violence, including 258 summarily executed.
The fighting began on July 13, in Suwayda’s Bedouin neighborhood of Maqus. Druze fighting groups accused the Bedouins of kidnappings, and the Bedouins also accused the Druze of kidnapping, calling in help from tribes in the surrounding area.
The situation escalated quickly. Syrian troops were sent in and sided with the Bedouins, participating in executions of Druze. Israel carried out attacks of the Syrian forces in the area as well, and the toll just soared, before multiple ceasefires were declared, none of which fully held.
Aftermath of Suwayda fighting | Image from SOHR
Civilians are still being evacuated from some areas, and ambushes are being reported. Perhaps the most pressing matter, however, is that the Damascus-Suwayda Highway remains blocked, nominally to contain the violence.
It has had some limited success in that regard, but parts of Suwayda are also reporting growing shortages of essential goods. An aid convoy from the Syrian Red Crescent and the International Red Cross has dispatched to the area through the one open route that still hasn’t been blocked.
Over 100,000 people have been reported to have been displaced by the fighting. Water has been reported cut in some areas, and food and fuel are in short supply in some places. There is no timetable for reopening the governorate, and the situation may continue to worsen.
The Suwayda Governorate has also been effectively cut off from press coverage as well. International reporters are being denied entry, with the AP reporting that they got Syrian government approval to go in, but Ahmed Dalati, a locally appointed official, has blocked all access.
