The Higher Legal Committee in Suwayda (southern Syria) has announced its rejection of the statement issued by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, which outlined a roadmap for resolving the crisis in the province.

In a statement on Facebook today, Wednesday, September 17, the committee said its response came after a “careful review” of the Foreign Ministry’s announcement.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry had declared on Tuesday evening that a roadmap was agreed upon following a trilateral meeting in Damascus that brought together Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, and US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack.

Contradictions and mistrust

The committee noted what it described as a “contradiction” in the ministry’s statement, which invited the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria to investigate, while at the same time stressing that accountability would be carried out under Syrian law. It expressed mistrust in the domestic judiciary.

According to the committee, this contradiction undermines international justice: “It is inconceivable that the accused should also act as judge. International justice is based on independence and impartiality and cannot be reduced to local channels that lost legitimacy and credibility long ago.”

The statement also rejected the notion of the Syrian government as a neutral party seeking reconciliation.

The committee accused Damascus of attempting to impose “internal fragmentation” by promoting the idea of local councils and joint police forces, describing it as “an attempt to impose new tutelage over Suwayda and sow discord among its people.”

Earlier, Suleiman Abdul Baqi, commander of the “Ahrar al-Arab Gathering,” announced in a video on Monday that he had been tasked by the Syrian Interior Ministry with overseeing security inside Suwayda city.

Right to self-determination

The committee reaffirmed the “right to self-determination,” arguing that crimes committed in Suwayda, alongside decades of marginalization, deprivation, and exclusion, constitute valid grounds for this demand.

It said that the people of Suwayda hold a legal and moral right to determine their own fate freely and independently—whether through self-administration or secession.

The committee called on the international community and all global actors not to recognize any arrangements imposed by force on Suwayda’s residents, to ensure an independent investigation and international accountability mechanisms free from government control, and to support the people’s right to decide their own future. “The future of Suwayda will be determined solely by its people,” the statement stressed.

The roadmap

The roadmap announced by the Syrian Foreign Ministry included urgent steps, most notably:

• Inviting the UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate events in Suwayda and holding perpetrators accountable under Syrian law.

• Continuing the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid with UN cooperation, and restoring basic services with Jordanian and US support.

• Deploying qualified police forces along the Suwayda–Damascus road to secure the movement of civilians and trade, and replacing local fighters with regular government troops on provincial borders.

• Supporting Red Cross efforts to release detainees and kidnap victims and complete exchanges.

• Jordan, in coordination with the Syrian government, to convene delegations from Suwayda’s Druze, Christian, and Sunni communities, as well as from Bedouin tribes in the province, to facilitate reconciliation.

• Launching reconstruction plans for damaged villages and properties, with Jordanian and US assistance to secure funding.

• Promoting a “national narrative” based on unity and equality, while criminalizing hate speech and sectarianism through new legislation backed by Washington and Amman.

What is the “Legal Committee”?

The formation of legal, service, and security committees in Suwayda by the Druze spiritual leadership has sparked questions about their motives, whether they aim at separatism or simply organizing local administration.

The Higher Legal Committee is tasked with overseeing governance across sectors, safeguarding public and private institutions, and “lifting injustice and harm off citizens of all backgrounds and combating corruption,” according to its media office.

On August 7, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted a Justice Ministry source saying that judges named in what is called the “Higher Legal Committee” had been referred to the Judicial Inspection Directorate for investigation, accusing members of engaging in activities contrary to their judicial duties under the Judicial Authority Law.