Mass evacuation of Sweida students from universities amid escalating violence

Approximately 308 students from Sweida, studying at universities in Aleppo, arrived in Sweida today as part of a new mass evacuation following relative stability on the Damascus-Sweida road, according to student and community sources.
Sources explained that the evacuation comes approximately ten days after sectarian violence erupted targeting Sweida students at the universities of Homs and Damascus, before spreading to Aleppo University. A student from Sweida was stabbed on sectarian grounds, sparking fears among students and prompting them to attempt to return to their hometowns.
One of the students who arrived in Sweida today said, "We regret having to leave our seats due to the sectarian violence. We have yet to comprehend the catastrophe that has befallen our country. We were expecting a firm stance from the government against these attacks, but unfortunately, silence prevailed."
The student noted that the silence of the Damascus government regarding the attacks, and the lack of effective intervention from the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Interior, has deepened their sense of danger to their lives and academic futures. He stressed that he will not return to his university until safety is assured.
Ten days ago, the universities of Homs, Damascus, Latakia, and Hama witnessed the evacuation of thousands of students from Sweida, amid fears of a recurrence of sectarian attacks.
In a related context, an open letter on behalf of Sweida students has spread across social media, addressed to the Ministry of Education and university administrations, demanding their protection and ensuring their safe return to school. The letter read: "Is it conceivable that going to university could become a life-ending decision? Is this the fate of a university student in his own country? We write today to say that we are not okay, and that what is happening is a dangerous form of sectarian discrimination."
T/S
ANHA