At least 50 dead in sectarian clashes in southern Syria
The government claims that the lack of effective control of its forces in the area is the cause of the spiral of violence.
BarcelonaHalf a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's dictatorship, the new Syrian government has yet to fully capture the territory. The latest bout of violence has left at least 50 dead and more than 100 wounded in the predominantly Druze town of Al-Suwayda, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Most of the victims are Druze civilians, but there are also at least 10 Bedouin and six members of the state security forces. Earlier this morning, the Syrian Interior Ministry reported a preliminary death toll of 30.
According to the ministry, the clashes erupted "between local military groups and clans" in the Al-Maquas neighborhood, "in a context of tension built up from previous eras." A robbery of a merchant transporting fruit from Damascus triggered a series of kidnappings among the groups in the area, leading to the outbreak of violence this Sunday. Skirmishes between Bedouin tribesmen (who generally support the government) and Druze armed groups are occurring amid a power vacuum. "This dangerous escalation comes amid the absence of official institutions, which has worsened the chaos, the deterioration of security, and the inability of the local community to contain the crisis, despite repeated calls for calm," the Interior Ministry warned.
The absence of government forces
And the absence of government forces in the area with peacekeeping capacity could make matters worse: "This cycle of violence has exploded in a terrifying way and if it doesn't end, we are heading towards a bloodbath," Rayan Marouf, a Druze researcher at Al Suwayda, told Reuters.
Central authorities tried to negotiate the deployment of their security forces in the area after At the end of last April, a wave of violent clashes took place between these and Druze groups in areas populated by the community on the outskirts of Damascus and Al Sueida.However, Druze minority leaders insist that security remain in the hands of local forces, despite the fact that the incidents two months ago left more than 100 dead, according to estimates by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Interior Ministry announced this Monday that its units, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, will begin an intervention in the area to stem the violence. The operation aims to guarantee the safety of the population and bring those responsible for the incidents to justice.