Bedouin families are being evacuated after violence in Suweida earlier this year [Getty]
Dozens of Bedouin families left Syria’s southern Suweida province on Sunday, while two aid convoys arrived and a main water well was restored to service, in what authorities described as part of ongoing efforts to stabilise the restive region.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said in a statement that it had secured the arrival of the fifth group of Bedouin tribal families in Suweida, bringing the total number of those who have returned to about 104 people.
The ministry said the families were reunited with their relatives under the supervision of the province’s internal security command, in the presence of tribal elders and local notables.
It added that the move came “as part of continuous efforts to ensure their safety and security”, noting that coordination with local authorities was ongoing.
Activist Mohammed al-Hourani told The New Arab’s Arabic edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that this latest group included “the remaining Bedouin families – or individual members – who had been under the control of local armed factions in Suweida.”
He said their departure was organised “under the supervision of internal security forces and accompanied by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent”.
Thousands of Bedouin families have left the majority-Druze province since tensions erupted in July between local armed factions and Bedouin groups. The latest departure, al-Hourani said, likely marks “the end of the process of removing the remaining Bedouin families from faction-controlled areas”.
Meanwhile, Suweida authorities announced the reactivation of Water Well No. 2 in the al-Mazraa district in western Suweida after it was rehabilitated and equipped with funding from the NGO Rahma Around the World and the “Suweida Is From and For Us” campaign.
Governor Mustafa Bakour attended the inauguration alongside representatives of humanitarian organisations and local officials.
The governorate said the project aims “to provide a sustainable source of drinking water and improve services in al-Mazraa and nearby areas”, with the broader goal of supporting population stability and encouraging displaced residents to return home.
Bakour told the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the well’s operation “is an important step to improve water and public services in the province’s countryside,” adding that the local administration “is working to restore infrastructure, electricity, and education services to ensure a safe and dignified return for residents”.
Adib Shweiki, deputy head of Rahma Around the World, said the organisation had “rehabilitated the central well in al-Mazraa and installed a solar power system with 165 panels to ensure continuous pumping”, providing water to about 600 families.
He noted that this was the second project the organisation had completed in Suweida, after rehabilitating a local bakery earlier this year.
The ‘Suweida Is From and For Us’ campaign, launched last week, has reportedly raised more than $14.6 million to support projects in education, healthcare, and basic infrastructure, including water, electricity, and roads.
On the same day, two aid convoys entered Suweida through the al-Mutouna crossing in the province’s north under the supervision of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
The humanitarian convoy included 16 trucks loaded with food and relief supplies for the most vulnerable families, while a separate commercial convoy of more than 100 trucks carried essential goods and foodstuffs to support local markets, according to state media.
Local authorities said the arrivals and new water project formed part of “integrated efforts to restore services, rebuild trust, and stabilise life” in the province, which has seen months of unrest and protests over living conditions and government policy.
