UN: Over 190k Displaced in Southwest Syria as Sectarian Clashes Escalate

By Staff, Agencies

More than 190,000 people have been displaced across southwestern Syria since early July, the United Nations announced on Monday, warning that intensifying sectarian clashes and regime interventions have created a worsening humanitarian emergency.

Speaking at a press briefing, UN Secretary General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said those forced from their homes were scattered across Suweyda, Daraa and the rural outskirts of Damascus. The violence, he said, was seriously impeding humanitarian operations. “Very few people — about 120 — have reportedly returned to their communities, primarily to the Salkhad District in Suweyda,” he added, citing data from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA].

Dujarric warned that “access constraints and limited resources” were hampering relief efforts. “Much more is needed to meet people’s needs,” he stressed.

Over the weekend, intense clashes in Suweyda temporarily shut down the province’s only humanitarian corridor, halting aid deliveries and evacuations. Although the route has since reopened, the primary Damascus–Suweyda highway remains closed since July 12, further isolating the violence-hit areas.

The UN also noted a severe degradation of healthcare services in the region. “Maternal health services, trauma care, and non-communicable disease management must be urgently scaled up,” Dujarric emphasized, highlighting the immense strain placed on Suweyda and Daraa’s already fragile medical infrastructure.

The crisis traces back to July 13, when localized land and resource disputes sparked violent confrontations between Druze militias and Bedouin tribal fighters in Suweyda. Tensions worsened dramatically after fighters from Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham [HTS] entered the region on July 14–15, according to residents, journalists, and independent observers.

HTS, now ruling the region under the leadership of former Al-Qaeda and Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] commander Abu Mohammed Al-Julani, has drawn international condemnation for widespread human rights violations, especially against minority groups.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the death toll has surpassed 1,000 since July 13, including 47 women, 26 children and six medical personnel. The organization said casualties rose sharply following the HTS deployment and the subsequent escalation of armed confrontations.

Syria’s broader conflict deepened last year when HTS fighters, backed by “Israeli” strikes targeting civilian and military infrastructure, ousted the democratically elected government of Bashar al-Assad. The resulting instability continues to ravage southern Syria, with the latest crisis in Suweyda representing one of the gravest humanitarian flashpoints in recent months.