Druze Communities Worldwide Demand UN Investigation into Atrocities in Sweida

August 5, 2025 – Druze leaders and activists from around the globe have issued an urgent appeal to the international community, calling for a full investigation by the United Nations into “heinous crimes” committed against civilians in Sweida and Jabal al-Druze by forces loyal to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The statement, published as an opinion piece by Munir Dahir, accuses al-Sharaa—also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani and former leader of Jabhat al-Nusra and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham—of orchestrating mass killings and widespread destruction in the heartland of Syria’s Druze community.

“Jabal al-Druze, the land of dignity and history, has become a stage for horrific massacres carried out by these terrorist gangs: the slaughter of children and the elderly without mercy, the destruction of villages and homes, and the looting of property,” the appeal states, highlighting the systematic nature of the attacks.

Witness accounts and AFP imagery depict smoke rising over Sweida amid clashes between Druze fighters and regime forces, underscoring the intensity of the conflict in a region long considered a bastion of stability.

In addition to demanding that the UN Security Council classify these actions as crimes against humanity, the Druze statement calls on major powers and human rights organizations to:

Isolate terrorist groups by cutting off their funding and support networks.
Provide immediate humanitarian aid to protect civilians in Sweida and surrounding areas.

“We will never kneel. We will never surrender. We will defend our land, our honor and our mountain with all the strength we have,” the statement declares, vowing continued resistance until the region is secure.

On Friday hundreds gathered in Syria’s Druze heartlan to demand the withdrawal of government forces after deadly sectarian violence last month and the opening of an aid corridor from neighbouring Jordan.

Sweida province has seen tough humanitarian conditions since week-long clashes killed around 1,400 people last month, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The United Nations says more than 175,000 displaced people have yet to return to their homes.

The violence initially pitted Druze fighters against local Sunni Bedouin tribes but rapidly escalated, drawing in Syrian government forces as well as Israel, which bombed them.

The Islamist-led interim government said its forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory accused them of siding with the Bedouin and of committing abuses including summary executions.

Dozens of protesters, including women and children, gathered in a main square in Sweida, holding placards calling for the opening of a humanitarian corridor from Jordan.

Similar protests were held in other Druze towns, according to the Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group.

The government has deployed forces to several parts of Sweida province but not to the provincial capital.

Residents accuse them of imposing a blockade, a claim the government has denied, instead blaming “outlaw groups”, in reference to Druze fighters.

Activist Rawan Abu Assaf said protesters’ demands included “lifting the blockade imposed on Sweida province and the withdrawal of government forces from all its villages”.

The Observatory said the main Damascus-Sweida highway was still cut and accused armed groups linked to the government of blocking the resumption of normal trade.

The monitor said the province was under de facto blockade despite the entry of several aid convoys.

Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said the convoys gave the lie to Druze claims of a blockade.

But the Observatory said the government was just keeping up appearances for the international community.

UN humanitarian coordinator Adam Abdelmoula said on Thursday that the United Nations and its partners had sent a new convoy to Sweida province, with 40 trucks carrying “a broad range of life-saving assistance” including food, water and medical supplies.

He called it “a significant step toward expanding access and scaling up the humanitarian response in affected areas of southern Syria”.

In the meanwhile, Damascus pledged to investigate the reported abuses in Sweida last month.

In a decree dated July 31, justice minister Muzher al-Wais said a committee of seven people – including judges, lawyers and a military official – would look into the circumstances that led to the “events in Sweida” and report back within three months.

The committee would investigate reported attacks and abuses against civilians and refer anyone proven to have participated in such attacks to the judiciary.

In March, hundreds of Alawite civilians were killed after government-aligned forces deployed to Syria’s coastal areas following a deadly attack on new government forces by militias still aligned with Assad, who hails from the Alawite minority.

Assad’s brutal crackdown on protests against him in 2011 from within Syria’s Sunni majority spiralled into a nearly 14-year war. Western leaders are keen to ensure the new government, led by a former radical Islamist group which has its roots in jihadism, conducts an orderly democratic transition.

The fact-finding committee established after the March killings last month referred 298 people suspected of carrying out abuses against Alawites to the judiciary.

The committee said it found no evidence of commanders ordering troops to commit violations and that 265 people had been involved in the initial attack on government forces.

This global Druze appeal highlights the urgent need for concerted international action. As reports of civilian suffering mount, a UN-led inquiry could not only document potential war crimes but also pave the way for targeted humanitarian relief and stronger protections for minority communities across Syria.