U.S. mediates negotiations on fate of 300 abductees in Syria’s Suwayda
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – A local official in charge of the abductees’ file in Suwayda, southern Syria, revealed on Sunday that negotiations are currently underway, mediated by the United States and attended by representatives of the Syrian transitional government, to address the fate of hundreds of abducted and disappeared individuals.
The official told North Press that the number of abductees, held by both government security services and tribal groups, has reached nearly 300, including 103 women.
He noted that the talks are facing obstacles due to what he described as the government’s procrastination and its attempts to restrict the role of international organizations by blocking access to fact-finding missions and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Suwayda.
The official stressed that “credible information and eyewitness testimonies confirm the presence of a number of abductees in the custody of government security agencies, contrary to official denials or claims of uncertainty.”
He added that a government-formed investigative committee has failed to gain public trust in Suwayda, as the government itself is considered a party accused of abuses in the governorate, undermining the committee’s neutrality and credibility.
In mid-July 2025, a local dispute rapidly escalated into wide-scale intercommunal violence across Suwayda Governorate. The fighting involved Druze local militias, Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and, at times, Syrian government forces and affiliated security units.
The period saw mass killings, looting, forced displacement, and waves of abduction and enforced disappearance that continue to reverberate. International bodies and rights groups have documented grave abuses and called for independent investigations.
On Sep. 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Syrian transitional government announced a six-step roadmap aimed at resolving the crisis in the Druze-majority governorate, with support from the United States and Jordan.
The roadmap included 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.
However, the Suwayda residents rejected the roadmap describing it as the alignment of the United States and Jordan with the Syrian government, and calling for the right to self-determination and the release of abducted residents.
Reporting by Haroun al-Arbid