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SUWAYDA, syria (North Press) – Suwayda today looks markedly different from the period before the fall of the Assad regime—both in its slogans and in its demands. This shift has become more pronounced since the events of July, when troops of the transitional administration launched an offensive on the governorate, followed by a retaliatory attack by local tribes, leaving an estimated 4,000 people dead, as per unofficial local tallies. Tareq Abu Hamdan, a civil activist from Suwayda, informed North Press that“residents were deeply concerned that power might shift to a “radical jihadist” faction. However, he stated that numerous preferred to give the post-Assad transition a chance to bring about the real change demanded since the early days of the revolution: “freedom, democracy, justice, equality, economic improvement, and restoring Syria’s regional standing.
Notably, ” Yet, none of these goals have been achieved a year after the regime’s collapse, Abu Hamdan noted. He added that the emerging administration sought to assert control over the southern governorate through force, while the absence of an effective legal framework prevented the establishment of a clear roadmap. “The solution lies in an international investigative committee to document violations and prosecute perpetrators under international law—not through local mechanisms,” he stressed. In September, the ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a six-point roadmap to address the Suwayda crisis, backed by the United States and Jordan. The roadmap, signed by syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and U.
S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, includes holding perpetrators accountable, compensating victims, restoring services, rehabilitating villages, deploying Interior Ministry troops, reopening roads, disclosing the fate of missing persons, and initiating reconciliation. But the recently formed Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda rejected the roadmap, describing it as an attempt to evade responsibility and “entrench impunity. ” It stressed that any externally imposed solution would not be binding for residents, who view self-determination as their exclusive right.
Observers, on the other hand, say the plan signals the first indications of regional and international consensus, potentially giving it more political weight than earlier initiatives. Political stalemate and relief decline Najeeb Abu Dahn, another civil activist, informed North Press that the current circumstances is marked by political deadlock, persistent blockade measures, and ongoing basic crises. “The suffocating siege on Suwayda is still ongoing, and there are severe water, electricity, and internet shortages,” he stated. “We are in a dire circumstances, and we have not seen…