Syria sends fourth aid convoy to Sweida amid ongoing tensions

Damascus, July 29 (IANS) The Syrian interim authorities, in coordination with international organisations and local community partners, dispatched a fourth humanitarian aid convoy on Tuesday from Damascus to the southern Sweida province, according to state media.

The convoy, comprising 22 trucks, carried 27,000 litres of fuel, 2,000 food baskets, 2,000 hygiene kits, 10,000 bottles of drinking water, 40 tons of flour, and various medical supplies, the official SANA news agency reported.

The delivery is part of ongoing efforts to support civilian populations in Sweida, which has experienced recent unrest and shortages following clashes and a fragile ceasefire agreement earlier this month. This marks the fourth convoy sent to the province since the agreement was reached.

The aid comes amid reports of protests in parts of Sweida, where demonstrators have accused the interim government of imposing a de facto siege on the region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. The observatory said civilians have taken to the streets in some areas, demanding improved access to basic services and humanitarian relief.

Declared on July 19, the ceasefire followed a harrowing wave of sectarian clashes, Israeli airstrikes and grave human rights violations, Xinhua news agency reported.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told ambassadors in the Security Council on Monday that the recent escalation had "rocked" the country's already precarious transition, and highlighted the need for "major course corrections" on security and political fronts.

"Syrians are reeling after appalling violence in Sweida -- violence that should not have happened and which also saw unacceptable foreign intervention," Pedersen said.

According to the UN, unrest erupted on the evening of July 12 following a series of mutual kidnappings that escalated into armed clashes between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes, eventually drawing in Syrian security forces.

The violence quickly spiralled, with reports of extrajudicial executions and looting. Graphic footage circulated widely on social media, fueling sectarian tensions and the spread of disinformation.

Although active fighting has largely subsided, Pedersen warned that the situation "remains tense and volatile." Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence, with hundreds reportedly killed and widespread accounts of abuses committed by both state and non-state actors.

"I condemn the appalling violations committed against civilians and combatants in Sweida. I also condemn Israel's intervention," Pedersen said, referring to recent Israeli airstrikes near Sweida and Damascus that reportedly resulted in civilian and military casualties.

--IANS

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