Damascus: The national government of Syria has announced a new ceasefire to end clashes between Druze and Sunni militias around the southern city of Sweida.
According to Deutsche Welle, more than 300 people were killed and many more injured through Wednesday.
The clashes were reported to have begun after a Druze youth was beaten and robbed by members of the Sunni Bedouin community on a highway between the capital, Damascus, and Sweida on Sunday. Druze fighters then kidnapped Bedouins, which spurred further violence.
The government sent troops into Sweida, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the capital, Damascus, to quell the violence. Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, a journalist specializing in Syria and Iraq, stated on X that Druze fighters initially resisted the troops, but eventually handed over their weapons.
According to Deutsche Welle, the clashes in Sweida are part of long-running conflicts between different populations. Bente Scheller, the head of the Middle East and North Africa division of Germany's Heinrich Böll Foundation, explained that in Syria, many groups feel that their concerns or rights are not sufficiently taken into account. This perceived disadvantage often leads to violence. The main issues in the Sweida area include conflicts about cultural or religious identity and violent crime linked to drug smuggling.
In April and May, similar clashes erupted between Druze and government-affiliated forces in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. In March, an ambush on government forces by Alawites, the minority to which the ousted dictator Bashar Assad belongs, led to days of sectarian violence and revenge attacks. More than 1,300 people were killed during these events. Despite these incidents, the current government does not explicitly favor any individual group. Andre Bank, a research fellow specializing in Syria at the Hamburg-based GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies, pointed out that the government is too pluralistic to favor one group over another.
The situation poses significant pressures on President Ahmed al-Sharaa, as the international community, including the US and EU, has high expectations regarding the protection of minorities in Syria. Recent attacks, such as the suicide bombing at a Christian church in Damascus, which killed 25 people, highlight the challenges in meeting these expectations.
The Interior Ministry has blamed the Islamic State (IS) terror group for the attack on the church. However, other groups, including an armed group with former members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), are also suspected. Al-Sharaa, the former leader of HTS, might find it convenient to attribute the attack to IS.
The government's response to previous attacks, especially those on the Alawites, has been met with suspicion. Despite promises to set up a commission of inquiry, no results have been produced, leading to public skepticism about the government's intentions.
Financial constraints further complicate the Syrian government's ability to address these issues. The government faces the daunting tasks of drafting a new electoral law, rebuilding the state apparatus, and managing the interests of the Kurdish minority in the north, who demand autonomy while remaining part of Syria. The government will likely contend with these conflicts for the foreseeable future.