Hijri affirms right to self-determination for Suwayda residents
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria’s southern Suwayda Governorate, said on Monday that the right to self-determination for Suwayda’s people is “a firm right that cannot be withdrawn.”
Al-Hijri’s remarks came in an interview with Sky News Arabia, amid ongoing tensions between residents of Suwayda and the transitional government in Damascus that have persisted since the protests erupted in July.
He called on the international community to recognize what he described as atrocities committed against the people of Suwayda, stressing the need to “uncover the truth about what happened.”
According to al-Hijri, more than 600 people remain missing, including women, while the government in Damascus continues to obstruct negotiations regarding their fate. He also accused the authorities of “failing to evacuate devastated villages and continuing to distort facts,” as he put it.
The spiritual leader reiterated that the vision of Suwayda’s residents centers on full independence for the governorate, underscoring their determination to pursue autonomy despite stalled mediation efforts.