30,000 trapped in Sweida – food and water soon to run out
Around 30,000 people, most of them Druze, are trapped in and around Sweida in Syria, Sky News reports.
Despite a ceasefire, the city is still effectively under siege by Bedouin militias, according to the newspaper's reporter on the spot. Inside Sweida there is no electricity, no internet and increasingly less food and water. According to Sky News, dead bodies lie in the streets, many of whom appear to have been killed by shots to the head.
Druze militias in the city, led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, are said to have rejected aid shipments from the government. No humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians have yet been established.
Around 30,000 people, most of them Druze, are trapped in and around Sweida in Syria, Sky News reports.
Despite a ceasefire, the city is still effectively under siege by Bedouin militias, according to the newspaper's reporter on the spot. Inside Sweida there is no electricity, no internet and increasingly less food and water. According to Sky News, dead bodies lie in the streets, many of whom appear to have been killed by shots to the head.
Druze militias in the city, led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, are said to have rejected aid shipments from the government. No humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians have yet been established.
Militia: Ready for New Battles in Sweida – Even if It Becomes Our Grave
A tense ceasefire prevails in Syria, according to reports in several media outlets.
Bedouin militia groups announced on Monday morning that they had withdrawn from Sweida in the southern parts of the country.
According to the BBC, however, militiamen threatened as late as Sunday to attack again unless the injured Bedouins who are said to be in the city are released.
– If they do not fulfill that part of the agreement, we will go back in, even if it means Sweida becomes our grave, a militiaman tells the BBC.
A militiaman who is still in the area tells AFP that they are demanding that Druze leader Hikmat al Hijri be brought to justice.
– We will stay until he surrenders along with those who tried to incite civil war. Only then will we go home.
Thousands of Bedouins evacuated from Sweida
Over a thousand Bedouin civilians have been evacuated from Sweida in southern Syria, AFP reports.
The news agency's reporters on the ground testify to how Bedouins were driven out of the city in cars and minibuses during the Red Crescent's inspection. According to the state news agency SANA, this is about 1,500 people, who will now be taken to reception centers in nearby provinces.
Sweida has been the subject of fighting between Druze and Bedouin militias for the past week. Both Israel and the Syrian government's security forces have also intervened in the fighting. Since the weekend, there has been a ceasefire between the militia groups, which has, however, been described as strained.
Over a thousand Bedouin civilians have been evacuated from Sweida in southern Syria, AFP reports.
The news agency's reporters on the ground testify to how Bedouins were driven out of the city in cars and minibuses during the Red Crescent's inspection. According to the state news agency SANA, this is about 1,500 people, who will now be taken to reception centers in nearby provinces.
Sweida has been the subject of fighting between Druze and Bedouin militias for the past week. Both Israel and the Syrian government's security forces have also intervened in the fighting. Since the weekend, there has been a ceasefire between the militia groups, which has, however, been described as strained.
The fighting in Sweida – the case at hand
Fighting between Druze and Bedouin in Sweida in southern Syria broke out on July 13, 2025, leading to the deployment of government forces to the area.
The Israeli military has carried out airstrikes on Damascus in support of the Druze minority, following allegations that Syrian government forces had executed Druze civilians in Sweida.
Around 1,000 people are believed to have been killed, including 326 Druze fighters, 262 Druze civilians and 312 government soldiers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Several attempts at ceasefires have been broken. The latest came into effect on July 19.
Around 30,000 people, mainly Druze, are still trapped in Sweida without electricity or internet.
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar