Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: Human Rights Watch Tens of Thousands Displaced, Services Collapsed, Risk of Sectarian Reprisals(Beirut) – Nine days of armed clashes and serious abuses in Syria’s southern Sweida governorate have triggered a dire humanitarian crisis, Human Rights Watch said today. The fighting between local Druze-led and Bedouin armed groups, exacerbated by the manner of the Syrian government’s intervention and Israeli airstrikes, has caused widespread disruptions to electricity, water, and health care, and ignited sectarian hate speech and the risk of reprisals against Druze communities across the country.The latest clashes began on July 12, 2025, with heavy fighting between militias aligned with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a spiritual leader of Sweida’s Druze community, and pro-government Bedouin fighters. As violence spread, the Syrian government announced it would intervene, deploying Interior and Defense Ministry units and imposing curfews on July 14. While the authorities claimed the deployment was to restore order, residents reported looting, home burning, sectarian abuse, and summary executions, including of women and children. Bedouin armed groups and Druze militias have also been implicated in serious abuses.“While communities in Sweida experience displacement and lack food, water, and health care, insecurity, political obstacles, and deep mistrust are holding up humanitarian aid,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “No matter who controls the territory, humanitarian assistance needs to be allowed in immediately and without interference.”The United Nations reported that since July 12, at least 93,400 people have been displaced, most within Sweida governorate. Damage from ground fighting and Israeli airstrikes has knocked out power, water systems, and telecommunications across much of Sweida city. Most hospitals are out of service due to physical damage, staff shortages, roadblocks, and fuel and supply disruptions. Many displaced families lack food, clean water, and medical care, with growing public health risks, including reports of unburied bodies in residential areas.The first limited aid convoy, organized by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), entered Sweida on July 20. A Health Ministry spokesperson said that Sheikh al-Hijri refused entry to the government delegation accompanying the convoy. An aid worker said that, as of July 21, the Foreign Affairs Ministry had authorized the SARC to deliver aid independently, with a second convoy expected as early as July 22.“We’ve had no water for nine days and no electricity since the fighting began,” a Sweida city resident said. “All our food spoiled, we had to throw it out. We’re showering in our own sweat. I scraped mold off a carton of yogurt and fed it to my children. What we need most now is water and electricity.”Witnesses described conditions at the National Hospital in Sweida as catastrophic. One resident said that the hospital was overwhelmed, with no access to basic medical equipment or electricity to properly treat the injured. “My cousin was injured by shrapnel in his elbow and abdomen and requires urgent surgery,” he said. “However, the hospital lacks both the equipment and medical supplies necessary to perform the operation.”A local journalist said he saw many corpses in the hospital and morgue, including children and entire families. A local activist shared videos showing what appeared to be several of the bodies, including a young boy and a 14-year-old girl, with their names taped to their foreheads. With no medical staff present, armed groups and civilians have been transporting the dead and wounded in private vehicles, while volunteers have documented fatalities.The journalist shared a video with Human Rights Watch showing pages from a hospital death registry, listing names, ages, arrival dates, and causes of death. Human Rights Watch counted 306 names, most of whom had arrived on July 16 or 17, including at least 23 children. Most deaths were attributed to gunshot wounds—some to the head—and others to fragment injuries. He said many more bodies remain unrecorded, including those still at the hospital or taken to private or rural facilities.On July 20, the SARC reported assaults on its local volunteers, the burning of a warehouse, and shooting at an ambulance. The Syrian Civil Defense said that on July 16, gunmen detained a first responder, Hamza al-Amareen, while he answered a UN call for help. Such actions endanger aid workers and obstruct relief efforts, Human Rights Watch said.Informed sources indicated that in recent days, the Syrian Foreign Affairs Ministry had barred UN agencies and international humanitarian groups from entering Sweida, citing security concerns. A July 20 ministry circular seen by Human Rights Watch instructed international organizations and diplomatic delegations not to travel to the area without prior approval. Access for international journalists has also reportedly been restricted.All parties, notably Syrian government forces and armed groups controlling Sweida governorate, should immediately facilitate safe passage for aid convoys and allow engineers to restore essential services, Human Rights Watch said.Aid workers and objects used for humanitarian operations must be respected and protected. Attacks on civilians and civilian objects, including civilian infrastructure, are prohibited. Humanitarian efforts need to remain independent and free from improper interference, particularly given the deep mistrust between local communities and the central government. Syrian authorities should also grant independent monitors full access to affected areas.On July 16, the Syrian Presidency condemned violations against Sweida residents and pledged accountability. Military police later announced the arrest of one soldier for “violating codes of conduct.”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli attacks on Damascus and Sweida on July 16 were aimed at defending the Druze and enforcing a demilitarized zone in southern Syria. The ongoing airstrikes have fueled widespread hostility against the Druze community as a whole, even though many senior Druze leaders and community figures have publicly rejected foreign military involvement and called for a peaceful, nationally negotiated solution.On July 16, the United States mediated a ceasefire under which Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida, handing local governance and security back to Druze-led structures under Sheikh al-Hijri, effectively restoring the governorate’s informal autonomy.The agreement included no provisions for protecting civilians, providing aid access, or ensuring accountability. It also did not address mass displacement, collapse of services, or the rising threat of sectarian reprisals. Bedouin representatives were not included in the negotiations.Following the ceasefire, thousands of Bedouin fighters from across Syria mobilized toward Sweida after state media reported revenge attacks by al-Hijri’s fighters on Bedouin civilians. Authorities appeared to make no effort to prevent their mobilization.Amid the clashes, online sectarian-motivated threats against Druze have proliferated in Syria, with calls to boycott Druze‑owned businesses and fire Druze workers, threats to expel Druze from Damascus, and claims that the entire community is complicit with the actions of al-Hijri’s fighters and supportive of Israeli intervention.In a July 19 speech, President Ahmed al-Sharaa referred to Druze fighters as “outlaw groups” and praised the nationwide mobilization of Bedouin fighters toward Sweida, raising concerns he was encouraging non-state retaliation rather than promoting lawful, state-led security.By July 21, relative calm returned to Sweida under a new ceasefire, with authorities announcing the withdrawal of Bedouin fighters from the city and internal security forces establishing control over key roads. Bedouin families in the city were evacuated. While officials have said the relocation is temporary, concerns remain that these families may be unable to safely return without clear guarantees. Residents continue to report destroyed homes, mounting casualties, and collapsed services.“The government’s empowering of armed groups outside its command only deepens lawlessness, when Syria needs professional, accountable security forces that represent and protect all communities without discrimination,” Coogle said. “De-escalation needs to go hand in hand with protecting civilians and ensuring safe returns, restoring services, and rebuilding trust.”