A fragile ceasefire has taken hold in southern Syria following a week of clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes. Sweida province, where the majority of the population is Druze, became the epicenter of intercommunal violence after the arrival of Sunni tribes that sided with the Bedouins. According to rights groups, the clashes left more than 1,100 people dead—one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in Syria in recent years.
Witnesses and human rights organizations have accused Syrian government forces of siding with the Bedouins and committing serious abuses, including summary executions. The escalation was brought to a halt only after a ceasefire agreement was reached—one that, according to the United States, involved American diplomatic mediation.
Syrian authorities have now begun evacuating Bedouin families from the city of Sweida—a move aimed at easing tensions and preventing a renewed outbreak of violence.
Syrian authorities have begun evacuating Bedouin families from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida after a declared ceasefire ended days of fierce intercommunal fighting in the southern province, according to an AFP correspondent and state media.
An AFP journalist near the devastated provincial capital witnessed a convoy of buses entering Sweida and later departing with civilians on board.
Among those evacuated were women and children. They were transferred to reception centers in the neighboring province of Daraa as well as to Damascus, with assistance from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. According to the state news agency SANA, some 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes are scheduled to be evacuated.
The ceasefire, announced on Saturday, brought an end to a week-long wave of violence that killed more than 1,100 people, according to monitoring groups. The fighting erupted between Druze and Bedouin communities, whose relations have long been fraught, and intensified after Sunni Arab tribes entered the Sweida region in support of the Bedouins.
Witnesses, Druze faction representatives, and human rights groups have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouins and committing serious violations, including summary executions, when they entered Sweida last week.
"We reached a formula that allows us to defuse the crisis by evacuating the families of our compatriots from the Bedouin tribes who are currently in the city of Sweida," said Ahmad Dalati, the province's internal security chief, on state television.
Although the ceasefire was announced on Saturday, it effectively took hold only on Sunday, after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from parts of Sweida and Druze groups regained control.
The ceasefire announcement came shortly after the United States said it had played a role in brokering an agreement between the Syrian government and Israel. That same week, the Israeli military had struck government forces in both Sweida and Damascus.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, stated that it was acting in defense of this group and to press for the complete demilitarization of southern Syria.
Under the terms of the agreement, Syrian government forces are permitted to deploy in Sweida province but not in its administrative capital.
On Sunday, a humanitarian convoy entered the city for the first time. Sweida has been facing power and water outages, along with acute shortages of fuel, food, and medical supplies.