As-Suwayda – Yara Noufal

The As-Suwayda governorate in southern Syria has witnessed an increase in crime rates amid a state of security breakdown and the absence of judicial oversight for years. The types of crimes ranged from theft and kidnapping to murder.

The local network “Suwayda 24” documented, during September, the killing of eight individuals from As-Suwayda, six of whom were in the area, including a girl killed by her father under the pretext of defending honor, one civilian in a criminal case, in addition to the murder of three civilians under mysterious circumstances by unknown parties, and one civilian due to a weapon mishap.

In September, there were four kidnapping incidents in the governorate, three of which involved people kidnapped by organized gangs, while the fourth was a Jordanian citizen kidnapped by an armed gang in As-Suwayda, believed to be affiliated with one of the security branches, who was later released.

Gangs, weapons, and drugs

According to residents and activists interviewed by Enab Baladi, the increase in crime rates is attributed to several factors, the most prominent being the absence of authority and judicial oversight, non-enforcement of the law, and the “spread of gangs” directly linked to “military intelligence.” The deteriorating economic conditions, unemployment, and poverty have also contributed to increasing the “crisis” in the governorate, driving many to commit crimes.

Lawyer Ayman Shebdeen from As-Suwayda stated to Enab Baladi that the rise in crime rates is due to the spread of unregulated weapons and the transformation of As-Suwayda into a center for drug trafficking among youth and teenagers or smuggling to neighboring countries.

He added that the role played by gangs formed by the military intelligence agency and their establishment over many years was the primary cause of chaos and the increase in crime rates in the governorate.

Shebdeen noted that these gangs, referred to by the regime as local factions, have contributed to drug trafficking and, in some cases, manufacturing it. Many examples exist, such as the discovery of a machine for producing Captagon pills and dozens of security cards and assignments inside the headquarters of the gang led by Raji Falhout, which was overtly linked to the military intelligence branch in As-Suwayda.

Local factions as a temporary solution

Since around 2015, many local factions have formed in As-Suwayda, claiming to seek to secure the region and announced their independence from the regime and its security apparatuses, as well as to combat armed gangs. Some factions are filling the void left by the security agencies, with the Men of Dignity Movement being at the forefront of these factions.

Local factions play a role in combating crime in As-Suwayda, according to Aslan Junblatt, code name for the media wing leader in the Men of Dignity Movement.

Junblatt considered that the current security chaos in As-Suwayda is the result of the complete abandonment of responsibility by the security agencies, which forced local notables and factions to take the lead in utilizing customary laws and tribal regulations to regulate the situation, supported by military force.

During his conversation with Enab Baladi, Junblatt provided an example of a committee within the Men of Dignity Movement responsible for resolving disputes among the people, directing military force when necessary.

He mentioned that the committee hands over criminal offenders to the criminal security branch since the security and police agencies are unable to raid and arrest wanted criminals, and asserted that these solutions are temporary and cannot, in any way, compensate for the absence of security agencies or judicial oversight.

Regime’s institutions: Present yet absent

In recent years, the absence of the regime’s security institutions in the As-Suwayda governorate has been considered one of the issues faced by the area, which has been within regime influence since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution. These institutions do not intervene in security or social matters, only mobilizing when protests or movements against the regime arise.

The Syrian regime does not have military control over the governorate and has not witnessed any actual military operations since the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011, except for attacks carried out by the Islamic State group on the eastern villages of the region, which the residents defended on their own.

Every now and then, As-Suwayda experiences clashes between local factions or drug traffickers, retaining its border security nature with Jordan. Since August 2023, a peaceful movement has emerged, with political demands calling for regime change and implementing a political solution aimed at a safe transition of power and the release of detainees.