Harakat Rijal al-Karama's Spokesman on Events in al-Suwayda' a Month Later

It has now been around a month since the beginning of the clashes in al-Suwayda’ between pro-government forces and local Druze factions that attracted global attention and have so far proven to be disastrous for the Syrian government’s desire to extend and consolidate its authority. Not only have the three most senior spiritual leaders of the Syrian Druze (the mashayakh al-‘aql) denounced the government and its actions, but also Druze factions that were previously more willing to work with the government (such as Harakat Rijal al-Karama) have also come out against the government, denouncing the ‘barbaric’ campaign it launched against al-Suwayda’ as well as the subsequent ‘siege’ imposed on the province.

In this post, Basem Abu Fakhr- the spokesman for Harakat Rijal al-Karama- offers his overview of the causes of the events and their implications. While he does not hold Druze actors to be completely blameless (e.g. he notes the displacement of Bedouins from al-Suwayda’ as well as the looting of their homes- violation committed by Druze fighters), he also highlights the government’s record of violations against Druze both during and prior to these events with no accountability (the latter point in particular being missed by many observers), and it is clear he sees the government as the actor primarily at fault for the recent events (rather than blaming Hikmat al-Hijri, whom Harakat Rijal al-Karama does not declare affiliation with). For Basem, what has happened is lamentable for the prospects of a unified Syria more than anything, with the entrenchment of sectarian division and hatred and the real possibility of an internationally-brokered partition.

Below is the post by Basem translated by me.

With a month having passed since the events of al-Suwayda' and the aggressive barbaric attack on it, we can summarise events as follows: