Suwayda governor rejects “Legal Committee”, says roadmap key to stability
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – Mustafa al-Bakour, governor of Suwayda in southern Syria, said on Tuesday that the Syrian transitional government “does not recognize the Supreme Legal Committee in Suwayda, does not communicate with it, and considers it illegal and unrepresentative of any official authority.”
The committee was formed in August under the auspices of Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hajri to oversee public services in the governorate and to appoint new internal security leadership aimed at ensuring essential services for residents.
Speaking to Syrian news channel Syria TV, al-Bakour said that implementing the Syrian-American-Jordanian roadmap could serve as a genuine entry point toward stability in the governorate, though he admitted that some local parties reject the plan.
On Sep. 16, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a six-step roadmap to address the crisis in Suwayda, with U.S. and Jordanian support. The plan calls for holding aggressors accountable, ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid, compensating victims, rehabilitating villages, restoring basic services, clarifying the fate of the missing, and launching a reconciliation process with the participation of Suwayda residents.
However, the Supreme Legal Committee rejected the roadmap, describing it as contradictory and designed to entrench impunity.
On the security and service front, al-Bakour said commercial traffic on the Suwayda-Damascus road is running smoothly after the Ministries of Defense and Interior secured the route.
He also highlighted the impact of recent unrest on education, noting that violence in the governorate prevented some high school students from sitting for their exams.
“The security chaos and the control of armed factions in parts of the governorate hindered the entry of exam supervisors and the delivery of exam questions from the Ministry of Education,” he added.