This statement is issued by a coalition of Druze students, researchers, and activists across North America (Canada, the United States, and Mexico). We speak as members of a diaspora with direct family and cultural ties to Sweida, and we cannot remain silent as a campaign of ethnic cleansing unfolds against our people. Contact
On July 15, 2025, Syria’s interim
government forces led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, known to Syrians as Abu Mohammad
al-Jolani, the former commander of Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch and a one-time ISIS
affiliate, launched a full-scale assault on the Druze-majority city of
As-Suwayda.
This operation, framed as a
mission to "restore order" and enforce "security in the
province," was in reality the beginning of a meticulously planned
sectarian massacre. In just four days, what unfolded was an orchestrated ethnic
cleansing of the Druze population carried out by state-aligned jihadist forces
and backed by the same individuals who once led death squads under extremist
banners.
Massacres
and Targeted Killings of Civilians
Numerous credible reports and
firsthand accounts confirm that Syrian government forces and allied militias
executed Druze civilians in their homes and in the streets. In one of the most
harrowing incidents, 12–15 unarmed Druze civilians gathered at the Radwan
family guesthouse were shot dead at point-blank range. In another, six Druze
men were summarily executed outside their homes.
According to Sky News, Reuters,
and The Guardian, field executions were widespread and victims included women,
children, and medical personnel. On the first day of the massacre, the Syrian
Network for Human Rights confirmed at least 321 civilian deaths, including
children as young as 18 months, killed in front of their families. Some were
mutilated, raped, or beheaded. Druze men were humiliated, clerics mocked, and
captives forced to renounce their faith before being killed. In one verified
video, Druze men were pushed from a balcony and shot midair, a war crime caught
on camera. While initial reports confirmed hundreds of Druze civilians killed
in Sweida between July 13–18, 2025, the real death toll is now estimated to
exceed 1,000 and it continues to rise. Many of the dead remain missing, buried
in mass graves, or unidentifiable due to the destruction of homes and
systematic targeting of families.
The Syrian interim regime cut off
electricity, water, and communications, turning Sweida into a prison. UNHCR and
other aid groups reported being unable to access the city due to roadblocks and
shelling. Hospitals were overwhelmed, with over 200 bodies piled in morgues and
hallways. Armed fighters stormed Sweida National Hospital, shooting inside,
disabling machines, and killing staff. Currently, only a few local health
centers remain operational, as the main hospitals have been bombed
Food ran out. Babies were left
without formula. Shops were emptied and looted by regime-aligned tribal
militias. Entire neighborhoods were burned to the ground. By July 18, an
estimated 25,000–60,000 civilians were displaced, many with no shelter or supplies.
Relief efforts were deliberately blocked.
Documented
Evidence
International media Reuters, The
Guardian, AP, Sky News, Times of Israel, have all confirmed the atrocities
using on-the-ground reporting, video evidence, and survivor testimony.
The Syrian Network for Human
Rights and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights both labeled this as a sectarian cleansing campaign, with SNHR
calling it "one of the most notable
massacres of ethnic and religious cleansing in recent Syrian history."
Even Ahmad al-Sharaa, the
so-called president of the Syrian interim government, acknowledged crimes
occurred but blamed unnamed “outlaw groups,” deflecting responsibility despite
the overwhelming evidence pointing to his own fighters, many of whom are drawn
from former jihadist networks and have long histories of war crimes.
The
world cannot look away. We demand:
●
A formal
international investigation into the Sweida massacre and accountability for
those responsible — including Ahmad al-Sharaa (Jolani) and any affiliated
military leadership.
●
An
emergency humanitarian corridor via Jordan to deliver food, water, and medical
aid.
●
Immediate
recognition by the United Nations and international bodies that what happened
in Sweida constitutes crimes against humanity and an act of ethnic cleansing.
The Druze of Sweida have faced
genocide before — this is not the first time their blood has been deemed
expendable. But today, their massacre is livestreamed, documented, and
undeniable.
If the international community
fails to act, it is complicit.
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