Sweida (TDI): A fragile sense of calm returned to Syria’s southern Sweida province on Sunday, following a devastating week of intense fighting that left over 1,000 people dead and forced more than 128,000 residents from their homes.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the violence, mainly between Druze fighters and rival armed groups, has largely subsided since midnight Saturday, after a new ceasefire was announced by the government. Previous truce efforts had repeatedly collapsed.
By Sunday morning, reports confirmed a lull in the fighting. Government troops were seen deployed at various checkpoints across the province to uphold the ceasefire terms, and a humanitarian convoy was spotted heading toward the besieged, Druze-majority city of Sweida.
The Syrian interior ministry stated that the city had been fully cleared of tribal fighters and that hostilities inside neighborhoods had ceased. The Observatory confirmed that Druze forces had retaken control of Sweida city by Saturday evening.
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In a statement the same day, President Ahmed al-Sharaa reiterated his administration’s commitment to safeguarding Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities, following one of the worst outbreaks of sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December.
A spokesperson for Syria’s tribal and clan council said that their fighters had withdrawn from Sweida in accordance with the presidential agreement.
Inside the city, home to roughly 150,000 people, the situation remains dire. Power and water supplies are down, food is running short, and medical services are strained.
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Health Minister Musab al-Ali confirmed that essential supplies would soon reach the main hospital in Sweida, where bodies are reportedly piling up due to the fighting.
The UN migration agency (IOM) estimated that more than 128,000 people have been displaced across Sweida province, many of them in urgent need of food, shelter, and medical support.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
