UN sounds alarm on widespread violations in Syria’s Suweida amid deadly clashes

The United Nations has voiced grave concern over escalating sectarian violence in Syria’s southern city of Suweida, condemning what it describes as “widespread violations and abuses,” including summary executions and arbitrary killings.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a statement Friday, calling for urgent accountability and the protection of civilians amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The violence, which broke out on Sunday between Druze militias and Bedouin tribal fighters, has resulted in at least 594 deaths, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The dead include 146 Druze fighters, 154 Druze civilians—83 of whom were reportedly summarily executed by government forces—257 government personnel, and 21 Bedouin casualties (18 fighters and 3 civilians killed by Druze forces).
Türk’s office reported multiple credible accounts of atrocities perpetrated by various actors, including interim government forces, state security units, and local armed factions. Among the documented incidents was a July 15 attack on a family gathering in Suweida that left 13 dead, carried out by gunmen allegedly affiliated with the interim government. On the same day, six men were executed in separate incidents near their homes.
In a culturally charged episode, UN investigators noted reports of public humiliation, including the forcible shaving of a Druze man's mustache, a significant cultural symbol in the Druze community. “State forces should protect civilians, not become a source of terror,” Türk said, warning that the breakdown of order risks triggering broader regional instability.
This marks the first deployment of interim government troops into Suweida since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, ending Syria’s 13-year civil war. Their presence has sparked local outrage, with residents accusing government forces of executing civilians and aggravating intercommunal tensions.
A fragile truce was declared on Friday following the government's agreement to withdraw forces and cede local security control to religious elders and community leaders. Yet many fear the peace may not hold.
In a televised speech Thursday, Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged to prioritize protection for the Druze community and prosecute perpetrators, blaming unnamed “outlaw groups” for rejecting peaceful dialogue. State media echoed these claims, accusing opposition elements of massacring Bedouin civilians and combatants.
The UN also expressed alarm over recent Israeli airstrikes in Suweida, Daraa, and Damascus, which reportedly targeted the Syrian defense ministry and sites near the presidential palace. Israel claimed the attacks were aimed at deterring Syrian military assaults on Druze areas and forcing a withdrawal from Suweida.
Türk emphasized the need for independent, transparent investigations into all violations committed by state and non-state actors. “Revenge and vengeance are not the answer,” he said. “What Syria needs now is justice, reconciliation, and the rule of law.”
The UN urged all sides to respect international humanitarian law and take immediate steps to prevent further civilian suffering in Syria’s volatile south. (ILKHA)
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