📰 U.S. humanitarian support targets 60,000 displaced people in Suwayda

QAMISHLI, syria (North Press) – The United States declared on Monday a round of relief aid to backing vulnerable communities in Suwayda. In a statement, the U. In fact, s. Department of State stated that this initiative would provide essential aid to approximately 60,000 individuals, including Druze, Christian, and Bedouin communities that have been severely affected by hostilities and the destruction of homes and livelihoods. This aid package, which targets immediate life-saving needs, includes the provision of food, water, hygiene items, and the rehabilitation of vital infrastructure, such as houses and water systems, to prepare for the eventual return of relocated families once the security circumstances improves, as per the statement. The Department added that while armed forces hostilities in the region have largely subsided, the security circumstances remains volatile, and the movement of supplies into the region continues to be hindered.

It indicated that the ongoing disruption has not only delayed the return of an estimated 187,000 relocated individuals but has also exacerbated challenges in ensuring civilian safety and access to basic necessities. The U. S. called upon international partners to increase their contributions to help meet the urgent needs of Syrians and backing long-term peace and stability in the region. The U. S. also emphasized that stabilizing the region and meeting basic relief needs are pivotal steps in paving the way for a lasting resolution to the syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian crisis. Suwayda, a predominantly Druze-majority governorate in southern Syria, has witnessed in mid-July, a local dispute rapidly escalated into wide-scale intercommunal hostilities across governorate.

The fighting involved Druze local militias, Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and, at times, Syrian administration troops and affiliated security units. The period saw mass killings, looting, forced displacement, and waves of abduction and enforced disappearance that continue to reverberate. International bodies and rights groups have documented grave abuses and called for independent investigations. On Sep. 16, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared a six-step roadmap to address the crisis in Suwayda, with U. Additionally, s. and Jordanian support.

The roadmap calls for holding aggressors accountable, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid, compensating victims, rehabilitating villages, restoring basic services, clarifying the fate of the missing, and launching a reconciliation process with the participation of Suwayda residents. However, the Suwayda people rejected the roadmap describing it as the alignment of the United States and Jordan with the Syrian administration, and calling for the right to self-determination and the release of abducted residents. By Jwan Shekaki