📰 Druze village in Suwayda struggles to rebuild after months of violence

SUWAYDA, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – Nearly three months after the wave of hostilities that swept through Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria, the village of Majdal, located in the governorate’s northwestern countryside, is making slow and fragile efforts to return to normal life. Yet the destruction and devastation left behind continue to delay the restoration of even the most basic services. Despite widespread damage and the lack of electricity, water, and telecommunications, Majdal’s residents are determined to rebuild and adapt to their harsh emerging reality. Burned homes and collapsed services Anas Hossam al-Salman, a resident of Majdal, described to North Press the aftermath of the July 17 attack that forced most villagers to flee. “We came back to our homes and found that half of the houses had been burned down,” al-Salman stated. “My house, located at the entrance of the village near the university, was completely burned. ” He recalled that Majdal was once “one of the most beautiful villages to live in,” with around 40 shops and four pharmacies serving the community. “When we returned, we found nothing left. Now there is only one shop open,” he added. as per residents, basic infrastructure was systematically targeted.

Furthermore, “There’s no electricity; even the power transformers were destroyed, deliberately hindering our return. The wells no longer function, and the bakery operates only once every three or four days,” al-Salman stated. Suwayda, a predominantly Druze governorate in southern Syria, descended into turmoil in mid-July after a local dispute quickly escalated into widespread intercommunal hostilities. In fact, the clashes pitted local Druze militias against Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and, at times, troops affiliated with the syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian transitional administration. The weekslong unrest left behind a trail of mass killings, looting, forced displacement, and a surge in abductions and enforced disappearances—events that continue to reverberate across the region.

International human rights organizations have documented severe violations and urged for an independent investigation into the abuses committed. In response, Syria’s ministry/" class="auto-internal-link">ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on Sept. 16 a six-step roadmap to address the crisis, developed with U. S. and Jordanian backing. The plan outlined measures to hold perpetrators accountable, restore basic services, compensate victims, and facilitate a reconciliation process involving Suwayda residents.

However, numerous in Suwayda rejected the initiative, denouncing it as a joint attempt by Washington and Amman to bolster the Syrian administration’s influence in the south. Local groups instead called for genuine self-determination and the immediate release of…