Syria's Bedouin tribes said they withdrew from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Sunday, following a US-brokered ceasefire declaration announced a day prior.
Their withdrawal comes after days of clashes that began last Sunday between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Sweida, which had been sparked by a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings.
Government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins’ side against the Druze.
On Thursday, the military forces largely withdrew from the southern province of Sweida, a day after Israel launched several strikes on Damascus, citing a need to protect the Druze community.
However, shortly after, state media reported that Druze militants had launched retaliatory attacks on the Bedouin communities, resulting in the redeployment of government forces on Saturday to halt the renewed fighting.
In his second televised address since the fighting started, al-Sharaa blamed the conflict’s escalation between “lawless groups on one side and Bedouin communities on the other, leading to an unprecedented deterioration of the situation," and urged all parties to "fully commit" to the ceasefire.
Al-Sharaa, who was more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias. He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they “cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country’s affairs and restoring security.”
Shortly after the announcement, Syria's interior ministry said the fighting had stopped and that Sweida had been cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters, although several clashes reportedly still took place on Saturday evening.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights report at least 940 people have been killed since clashes erupted on Sunday. Meanwhile, the UN estimated that roughly 80,000 people have been displaced.
The Bedouins' withdrawal brought a cautious calm to the area, with humanitarian convoys reportedly on their way. The Syrian Red Crescent said Sunday they are sending 32 trucks to Sweida loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages. Syrian state media SANA said that the Health Ministry is also sending a convoy of trucks.
