Druze leader urges UN to open humanitarian corridors to besieged Suwayda
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – The spiritual leader of the Druze community in southern Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, appealed on Saturday to the international community to open humanitarian corridors to Suwayda Governorate to facilitate the entry of aid and reconnect the region with the outside world.
Al-Hajri said that residents of Suwayda “have been subjected to a comprehensive blockade that has affected every aspect of life — food, medicine, water, fuel, and freedom of movement.”
In a statement, he noted that “a limited amount of international aid does manage to reach the area, but it is insufficient and often exploited in the media to distort the reality and conceal the true suffering of the people.”
He called on the United Nations, the UN Security Council, and the broader international community to urgently intervene, in accordance with their moral and legal responsibilities, to lift the siege and establish safe humanitarian corridors.
Al-Hajri also stressed the need to “hold accountable those responsible for crimes and violations against civilians before international justice.”
The Druze leader demanded the withdrawal of all armed forces occupying villages in Suwayda and the restoration of lands according to the governorate’s administrative boundaries, as stipulated in the truce agreement reached last July.
Finally, he called for enabling the people of Suwayda to exercise their right to self-determination under UN supervision, in a way that ensures their freedom, dignity, and cultural and religious security under international monitoring and protection.
Reporting by Malin Mohammed