Syrian authorities evacuate Druze from Suwayda under security escort

ISTANBUL

Authorities in southern Syria evacuated a group of Druze residents from the city of Suwayda on Tuesday under security escort and with government coordination.

“Under government facilitation and security protection, a group of Druze citizens who wished to leave Suwayda have been evacuated,” the Suwayda Governorate said in a statement.

The evacuation was conducted via the Busra al-Sham humanitarian crossing in Daraa province using a convoy of five buses. The statement did not disclose the final destination, though Daraa has previously received displaced residents from Suwayda at temporary shelters.

Since a July 19 ceasefire, a fragile calm has returned to Suwayda following a week of deadly fighting between armed Druze groups and Bedouin tribes that left at least 426 people dead, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR).

The Syrian government has announced four separate ceasefire agreements, the latest on July 19. Earlier truces quickly collapsed, particularly after fighters loyal to Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a leading Druze cleric, forcibly expelled several Bedouin tribespeople and committed abuses against them.

Syria’s transitional government, which came to power after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, has pledged to restore security nationwide and defuse local tensions through negotiated settlements.