The sheikh of the Druze monotheist community, Hikmat al-Hijri, has set out his vision for Suwayda (southern Syria) amid the Syrian government’s attempts to resolve the governorate’s file.

The UAE-based channel Sky News Arabia quoted al-Hijri on Monday, October 27, as saying, “Our vision is based on the full independence of Suwayda governorate.”

Al-Hijri considered self-determination for the people of Suwayda “an absolute right that cannot be retracted.”

Repeated demonstrations have taken place in Suwayda, demanding the “right to self-determination,” although their momentum has waned in recent weeks, following a larger turnout in July.

Al-Hijri continued that “the number of abductees exceeds 600 people, including women, and the government in Damascus is obstructing any negotiations regarding them.”

He argued that “the government in Damascus has not yet committed to evacuating the devastated villages and insists on falsifying facts.”

He called on the international community to recognize what he described as the “genocide” faced by the people of Suwayda.

Earlier, on October 11, al-Hijri sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, members of the UN Security Council, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Arab League, and Amnesty International, in which he said that “Jabal al-Bashan” (a Hebrew name used for Jabal al-Arab, the Druze-majority highlands in Suwayda) has “for months endured a comprehensive and severe siege that threatens civilian lives.”

Al-Hijri stated that the siege has affected food, medicine, water, fuel, and freedom of movement, noting that some limited international aid may pass through, but it is insufficient. He added that such aid is being exploited in the media to be filmed and showcased (without naming who is doing so), in an attempt to falsify facts and cover up the “real tragedy of the people.”

Meanwhile, Syria’s Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani, described the Suwayda file as a “Syrian wound” in an interview with the state channel Al-Ikhbariyah on October 18.

He said what happened in the governorate “was not chosen by the Syrian government,” adding that partners agreed to the roadmap the government presented, that a fact-finding committee was formed, and that progress has been achieved with a recovery of national sentiment.

The minister called on elites, Druze sheikhs, and all those who care about the country’s interests to help overcome this problem.

He affirmed that the government is dealing with this issue as a domestic matter and that internationalizing it has served specific external agendas.

Suwayda Events

The Suwayda events began on July 12, following mutual kidnappings between residents of the al-Maqous neighborhood in Suwayda city—home to a large Bedouin community—and some Druze locals. The following day, the situation escalated into clashes.

The Syrian government intervened on July 14 to end the conflict; its intervention, however, was accompanied by violations against Druze civilians, prompting local factions to respond, including some that had previously cooperated with the Ministries of Defense and Interior.

On July 16, government forces withdrew from Suwayda after being targeted by Israeli strikes. This was followed by violations and acts of reprisal against Bedouin residents in the governorate, which led to convoys of armed groups arriving in what was described as “tribal relief mobilizations” in their support.

Subsequently, the Syrian government and Israel reached a US-mediated agreement to halt military operations.