Latest News
Ceasefire takes hold in Syria's Sweida amid displacement of 2,000 Bedouin families
Last Updated: 2025-07-22 09:44 | Xinhua
 Save  Print   E-mail

DAMASCUS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A ceasefire agreement brokered in southern Syria has brought a fragile calm to Sweida province after eight days of intense fighting, with human rights groups reporting the full implementation of the deal on Monday.

However, the truce has triggered a wave of displacement, with over 2,000 Arab Sunni Bedouin families fleeing from Sweida to neighboring Daraa province, according to official statistics.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the U.S.-backed agreement, announced on Saturday, ended clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribal militants that began on July 13 and left more than 1,120 people dead, including civilians, government troops, and local fighters. Among the dead were at least 194 individuals reportedly executed in extrajudicial killings.

According to the social affairs authorities, a total of 2,068 displaced families have taken refuge across towns and villages in Daraa. The displaced are identified as Arab Sunni Bedouins who fled Sweida during the fighting, with many citing fear of sectarian reprisals and forced eviction.

Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that evacuees were allowed to leave only with the clothes on their backs. "They took us out with nothing, no money, no belongings," said one man who had arrived in Daraa from Shahba city in Sweida.

The ceasefire, reportedly backed by a U.S.-mediated agreement between Syria and Israel, stipulates the withdrawal of all armed tribal fighters and government security forces from Sweida, as well as the creation of a UN-led fact-finding mission to investigate the recent violence.

It also includes arrangements for humanitarian aid deliveries and future prisoner exchanges.

Despite the cessation of hostilities, human rights advocates have raised alarm over the displacement pattern. Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman called the move a "demographic shift" reminiscent of earlier wartime displacements in Syria and demanded Damascus release the full terms of the ceasefire agreement.

With Sweida calm for now, attention is turning to whether displaced families will be allowed to return and whether the ceasefire can hold amid deep sectarian divisions and simmering tensions.

(Editor: liaoyifan )

分享到:
BACK TO TOP
  • Sports
  • Soccer
  • Basketball
  • Tennis
  • Formula One
  • Athletics
  • Others
  • Entertainment
  • Celebrity
  • Movie & TV
  • Music
  • Theater & Arts
  • Fashion
  • Beauty Pageant
Edition:
Link:    
About CE.cn | About the Economic Daily | Contact us
Copyright 2003-2025 China Economic Net. All rights reserved
Ceasefire takes hold in Syria's Sweida amid displacement of 2,000 Bedouin families
Source:Xinhua | 2025-07-22 09:44
分享到: