Severe shortages hit Sweida’s shelter centers amid lack of official support

Despite the major efforts made by local committees and volunteer teams supporting the displaced in Sweida, the shelter centers continue to face severe resource shortages, in the absence of official financial support and near-total reliance on community solidarity and expatriate contributions. The humanitarian crisis persists following the July 2025 attack and the displacement that followed.

Sweida—particularly its western countryside—witnessed a military escalation since mid-July this year, after fierce clashes between the Transitional Government forces, which attacked Sweida, and the National Guard forces that attempted to repel them. The escalation resulted in hundreds of casualties and the displacement of thousands from their homes.

Rashad Abu Sa’da, director of the “Meshkat Center for Studies and Documentation,” told ANHA agency that the number of active shelter centers in Sweida is currently 75, down from 96 at the peak of displacement.

He noted that more than 1,500 families are registered, totaling about 7,500 individuals, half of them women and children.

According to Abu Sa’da, the largest concentration of centers is in the city of Sweida (17 centers), followed by Shahba (13) and Salkhad (8), with the remaining centers distributed across the eastern and southern countryside. The actual total capacity is 8,000 people, with an occupancy rate of nearly 90%, and a daily food cost estimated at 25 million Syrian pounds, based on a single lunch meal per person costing 5,000 pounds.

Abu Sa’da explained that water is partially available, with outages occurring 2–3 times per week due to fuel shortages needed for generators powering water pumps—fuel that requires urgent logistical support.

Electricity is cut in most centers, with limited reliance on private generators. He added that medical teams conduct occasional visits, but there is a shortage of medications for chronic diseases and first aid supplies.

As for sanitation, only very limited cleaning services are available due to a lack of cleaning materials. For education and psychological support, there are volunteer activities for children and periodic psychosocial support from community teams.

Among the main challenges, Abu Sa’da highlighted the absence of a central operating budget, deteriorating infrastructure (old schools and worn-down buildings), recurring shortages of water, flour, and fuel, and uneven levels of supplies between centers due to varied individual contributions.

He also noted chronic shortages in medical supplies and women’s necessities, as well as weak coordination between official bodies, donors, and organizations.

The director of Meshkat Center called for establishing a central support fund to manage community financing transparently and monitor daily expenditures at the centers; forming a joint coordination room between local committees and donors to unify needs lists; transforming major centers into sustainable shelter units equipped with service infrastructure and power generators; activating international support through friendly humanitarian channels; and strengthening psychosocial programs for children and women, especially those affected by displacement.

Despite limited resources, the continued crisis without systematic support will lead to a gradual collapse of essential services. Saving these centers means preserving the minimum level of human dignity for more than seven thousand displaced residents of the mountain.

ANHA