A step toward easing tensions with Sweida - Salam
Assalamu alaikum - Authorities have taken some reconciliatory steps toward the mostly Druze province of Sweida, which saw terrible violence against minorities under the new government, just days before President Ahmad Al Shara's planned visit to Washington.
Officials said they would restore salary payments for Druze public employees in Sweida that were suspended after the July offensive, and that suspected kidnappers of a Druze doctor - who later died after being abducted - have been arrested.
Hundreds of Druze were killed in the July operation, and parts of the province had been effectively cut off from the rest of the country. Sweida’s governor, Mustafa Al Bakour, posted that legal and administrative steps were taken to resume pay for staff in 29 local civil departments.
A senior security official involved in the Sweida operation, Ahmad Al Dalati, announced arrests of eight people suspected of kidnapping Dr Hamza Shahin from his clinic south of Damascus. The detainees were found in the Al Lajat area near Sweida, and were reportedly seeking a ransom. The doctor died after three days in captivity from mistreatment.
These moves come ahead of Mr Al Shara’s visit to Washington, where he is due to meet US leaders. Some US lawmakers have expressed concern about the safety of Syria’s minorities under the new government, which took power after Hayat Tahrir Al Sham’s offensive that ousted the previous president late last year.
Congress is considering legislation that would lift many US sanctions on Syria, a change that could attract foreign investment and strengthen Mr Al Shara’s administration.
A source monitoring Sweida from Jordan said the announcements might help soften relations between Damascus and the Druze. Restrictions on travel in and out of Sweida have been eased recently, though security forces still remain in the area.
The source added that while the atmosphere seems to be improving - which external powers favour - core political disputes are still unresolved. The Druze seek greater decentralisation, but the government is reluctant to offer formal concessions that might require similar arrangements for other groups such as the Kurds.
The Druze are an old Arab minority that has faced survival challenges since modern Syria emerged from the Ottoman era. Loyalist forces’ July operation killed many Druze civilians, with authorities saying the move aimed to contain clashes between Druze and Sunni Bedouin. Druze militias also killed dozens of Bedouin during the fighting.
Israeli intervention reportedly forced pro-government forces to pull back from Sweida city, though the government has set up a de facto administrative centre in Mazraa, a Druze town captured earlier. In September, an agreement brokered with international involvement aimed to reconcile the government with the Druze, restore movement and government services, and hold perpetrators of violence accountable. The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria visited Sweida last month as part of that process.
May Allah grant safety and justice to all those affected, and ease the suffering of innocent people.
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