Mass demonstrations in Suweida against siege and violence

Today, Suweida saw widespread protests and demonstrations in several of its cities and villages, rejecting the siege imposed on the province and the massacres and violations attributed to what is referred to as the "Jolani authority." In the village of Al-Munaydhira in rural Suweida, residents organized a protest condemning the policy of "systematic starvation" and the siege imposed on the province, raising slogans demanding "urgent international protection" to stop the violations. 

In the city of Salakhd in the south, calls were reiterated to lift the siege and secure humanitarian corridors, amid public condemnation of practices described by protesters as "terrorist."

In the town of Al-Qurayya, a large demonstration started from the Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash Martyrs’ Square, with participants from various sects raising slogans condemning what they called the "massacres of the Jolani takfiri authority" and demanding the opening of relief corridors and an end to crimes against civilians. In the town of Arman, a similar protest called for ending the siege, which has been in place for over two weeks, and for providing international protection. Similar demonstrations took place in Sahwat Al-Khadr and the city of Shahba, where protesters chanted slogans such as: "Suweida is free, free... Jolani, get out!" and "With our soul, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Suweida," emphasizing their main demand for urgent international protection and relief.

In the village of Al-Kafr, residents held a peaceful sit-in condemning the siege and the deprivation of supplies, calling for the establishment of an air bridge and the opening of safe land corridors to deliver aid. These popular movements come in response to calls by civil activists in Suweida to organize a unified public sit-in across the province’s regions at 5:00 p.m. today.

The calls focused on holding the Jolani authority and its militias responsible for the "massacres and systematic violations" that have affected the city and dozens of villages, as well as what was described as the "organized targeting of an entire religious and ethnic community," in reference to the Druze sect, which protesters considered a "crime against minorities."

Protest organizers also called for internal and external pressure to lift the siege, provide comprehensive humanitarian protection, and open an international investigation into what the civilian population is facing.

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ANHA