UN experts expressed deep concern on Thursday over the continuous violence against the Druze population in the Sweida region in Syria.
Since mid-July, the experts said have received reports of “killings, enforced disappearances, abductions, looting, destruction of property, and sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls.” The UN experts also emphasized that gender-based violence has been prevalent. The experts reported that an estimated 105 Druze women and girls have been abducted by armed groups in connection with the Syrian interim authorities.
The treatment of Druze communities in Syria has urged the experts to call for independent investigations:
These reported violations expose an apparent systemic failure to protect minorities and address gender-based violence, with no thorough, independent and impartial investigations into extrajudicial killings, torture or abductions… Reports that the interim authorities’ forces aided attacks have entrenched impunity and fear, silencing victims’ families and obstructing efforts to locate the disappeared.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, has emphasized the importance of local civil society organizations in assisting displaced populations in Syria and underlined that “their efforts deserve recognition and sustained resources to expand their reach and impact.”
The armed attacks between the Druze and Bedouin groups in Sweida were triggered by an attack on a Druze merchant by Bedouin tribespeople on July 13. In response to the violence, protestors gathered in Sweida demanding the self-determination of the Druze people in July and August. Protestors have faced attacks because of their activism. Recently, in a presidential statement, the UN Security Council sounded an alarm over the violence in the Sweida region and urged a ceasefire arrangement.