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UN: Over 190,000 people displaced in SW Syria since July amid escalating violence

Iran Press TV

Tuesday, 05 August 2025 6:12 AM

The United Nations warns that more than 190,000 people have been displaced in southwestern Syria since last month, amid sectarian clashes and subsequent violent regime interventions.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, offered the information in a briefing on Monday.

Those rendered homeless were spread across the provinces of Sweida and Dara'a as well as the outskirts of the capital Damascus, he noted.

'Relief work in tatters'

Commenting on the latest developments in the epicenter of the violence, the official said clashes over the weekend in Sweida were hindering UN relief workers' access and their aid delivery practices.

"Very few people — about 120 — have reportedly returned to their communities, primarily to the Salkhad District in Sweida," he added, citing the world body's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which organizes relief work.

"With access constraints and limited resources, much more is needed to meet people's needs," Dujarric said.

He went on to detail the impediments preventing provision of humanitarian assistance to the violence-hit areas.

"For example, OCHA reports that the clashes in Sweida over the weekend led to the temporary closure of the only humanitarian route to the province, which is used to deliver humanitarian aid and to evacuate vulnerable people," the official said.

"The route was reopened today, but the main highway between Damascus and Sweida has remained inaccessible since July 12."

'Overstretched healthcare system'

According to Dujarric, violence has also taken "immense" toll on Sweida and Dara'a's healthcare systems.

"Maternal health services, trauma care and non-communicable disease management must be urgently scaled up."

Syria has been mired in violence since last year, when the Hay'at al-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group, which used to lead deadly and destructive Takfiri agendas across the Arab country, ousted the democratically-elected government of Bashar al-Assad amid marked escalation against the nation's civilian and defensive infrastructure by the Israeli regime.

The unrest in Sweida erupted on July 13, fueled by deep-rooted local disputes over land and resources, which soon ignited violent confrontations between Druze militias and Bedouin tribal fighters.

Tensions escalated sharply after HTS forces were sent to the region on July 14 and subsequently entered Sweida city on July 15, according to accounts from residents, independent war observers, and journalists present.

The current HTS-led regime, headed by former al-Qaeda and Daesh commander Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has faced serious accusations of widespread human rights abuses, particularly targeting minority groups, prompting strong international backlash.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, since July 13, over 1,000 people have lost their lives in the clashes in Sweida, including 47 women, 26 children, and six medical workers.

The organization noted in its latest report that the death toll surged dramatically following the forces' arrival and intensified fighting.