Sit-in in Sweida demands answers on missing people as Guterres visits Damascus

Families of the missing and abducted gathered outside the UN office in Suwayda, demanding information about their relatives who disappeared or were abducted during the deadly events of July last year, which left more than 1,700 people dead and displaced around 200,000 others.

The protest coincided with Guterres' visit to Damascus, marking the first visit by a UN Secretary-General to Syria since the outbreak of the conflict in 2011.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres would stress during his meetings that Syria has an opportunity to move beyond the legacy of conflict and lay the foundations for a more stable, inclusive, and prosperous future for all Syrians. He also reaffirmed the United Nations' commitment to supporting the country during this phase.

The visit is expected to last several days, although the UN has not released its full schedule. It comes weeks after a security incident in Damascus involving the explosion of two grenades near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying during his visit to Syria.

Protesters held up photographs of the missing and abducted, demanding that their fate be disclosed and that those responsible for the abuses committed during those events be brought to justice.

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ANHA