Nearly a year after the deadly sectarian violence that shook the southern Syrian province of Sweida, government authorities remain completely incapable of fulfilling their commitments to restore stability to the region, The United Nations has warned that efforts to heal divisions have ground to a halt, citing a lack of any tangible progress in implementing reintegration plans and rebuilding state institutions, which reflects an administrative and security failure that threatens the country’s unity.
The UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Claudio Cordone, clarified in his briefing to the Security Council that no progress has been made on the implementation of the September 2025 roadmap intended to restore order to Sweida and repair relations among Druze factions, Bedouins, and the government. This stalemate comes as underlying issues remain unresolved, explaining the rise in local calls for secession due to a profound lack of trust in the central authority. The roots of this deep-seated mistrust trace back to the events of July 2025; a UN investigation released last March documented the killing of more than 1,700 people, clearly pointing fingers at Syrian government forces and tribal fighters for their potential involvement in war crimes and horrific massacres during that period. Today, the crisis is exacerbated by the entrenchment of a culture of impunity, as no serious measures have been taken to hold the perpetrators of the Sweida massacres accountable, proving the absence of any genuine will in Damascus to achieve justice and provide redress for the victims.
On the ground and in terms of public services, the government’s failure has had a direct and disastrous impact on citizens’ lives, particularly in the education sector. Authorities have failed to secure safe conditions for national examinations following the collapse of UN-supported mediation regarding locations and security arrangements. Consequently, 13,500 students in Sweida were unable to sit for their exams this month, marking the second consecutive year that students have been deprived of their fundamental right to education. This collapse in services is accompanied by continued acts of violence against the residents of Sweida and a surge in kidnapping incidents, amid a total absence of government security agencies to protect civilians and enforce the rule of law.
In a blatant attempt to evade responsibility, government officials have shifted the blame onto local actors. Mustafa al-Bakour, the Sweida Governor appointed by Damascus, claimed that Druze armed groups are the ones obstructing the work of state institutions. In contrast, Druze leaders categorically reject these accusations, asserting that their mobilization on the ground came as an absolute necessity to protect their local community in the wake of last year’s massacres. These leaders accuse Damascus of destroying trust through its conduct on the ground, covering up for the perpetrators, and subjecting the province to collective punishment by restricting the flow of food and basic supplies.
This administrative and security failure in Sweida cannot be separated from the broader, deep-seated political crisis plaguing the transitional authorities in Damascus since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The UN envoy expressed deep concern over the persistent delays in completing the political transition process, noting that the transitional parliament has not yet been constituted more than eight months after elections, due to President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s delay in appointing a third of its members. This ongoing paralysis proves the transitional government’s inability to manage state institutions or fulfill its most basic political and moral obligations toward its people.