QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian transitional government announced on Sep. 16 a six-step roadmap aimed at resolving the crisis in the Druze-majority Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria, with support from the United States and Jordan.
The roadmap includes holding aggressors accountable, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid, compensating affected individuals, rehabilitating villages, restoring basic services, clarifying the fate of the missing, and launching an internal reconciliation process with the participation of Suwayda residents.
The announcement was met with strong rejection from the Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda, which described the ministry’s statement as “an attempt to evade responsibility and entrench a policy of impunity.” The committee stressed that any solutions imposed from Damascus or agreed externally “will not be binding on the people of Suwayda,” affirming that the right to self-determination rests exclusively with the local community.
In contrast, several experts considered the plan politically significant, noting that it reflects, for the first time, regional and international consensus on Suwayda’s future. From Damascus, Bashir Bedour, a PhD holder in international relations and diplomacy, told North Press the roadmap “is particularly significant because it is the first time we see Syrian–Jordanian–American agreement on a clear plan addressing the situation in Suwayda.”
Bedour said the plan’s provisions “cover both humanitarian and political issues—from accountability and aid to compensation and service restoration—points long awaited by the local community.” Yet he warned that “the challenge is not in drafting texts but in the mechanism of implementation,” stressing that without concrete steps on the ground, the roadmap risks losing credibility.
He added that success depends on the political will in Damascus, international guarantees to prevent obstruction, and genuine community participation from Suwayda’s local leaders and institutions.
Political analyst Bassam al-Suleiman described the roadmap as “clear in its tasks and, if successful, able to heal this major Syrian wound.” However, he argued that “the main obstacle to its success is Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri himself, as he provides cover for criminals in Suwayda.” He said the investigative committee stipulated in the roadmap “will expose to the people who is obstructing any genuine solution.”
From Suwayda, lawyer and activist Adel al-Hadi dismissed the plan, telling North Press that “everything that came out of this meeting, whether statements or steps, does not obligate Suwayda in any way, since it was not represented in it, nor was any delegation or figure appointed by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri or the Supreme Legal Committee.”
He added that the transitional government “cannot be considered a neutral party, as according to international reports, it is the main actor in the crimes and violations committed against members of the Druze community.”
Al-Hadi called for “the establishment of special courts to punish those responsible for these crimes,” stressing that any agreement reached without representatives mandated by Sheikh al-Hajri or the Legal Committee “is null and void, rejected, and nothing more than an attempt to legitimize the government’s role and polish its image.”
Observers describe the plan as a “rare opportunity” to resolve the Suwayda crisis if implemented transparently. However, the categorical rejection by the Supreme Legal Committee underscores the depth of mistrust between Suwayda and Damascus, raising doubts over whether the roadmap can move from political framework to practical steps that address the root causes of the governorate’s crisis.