From coast to Suwayda: Syria’s interim authorities linked to widespread violence with no accountability in sight 

• Killings of civilians in Suwayda spread fear of escalating violence
• The interim authorities ignore a crucial opportunity to promote civil peace
• Government fails to publish national investigation into March’s coastal massacres 

The escalating violence in Southern Syria is spreading fear across the country. The killings by armed groups reported to be affiliated with the interim government is happening in the same week that the authorities were due to publish the findings of the investigation into the March coastal massacre. 

Dozens of civilians have been killed, humiliated and shot by snipers, including a doctor who was shot dead on her way to Suwayda’s hospital, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to The Syria Campaign.

The humanitarian situation is deteriorating amid electricity outages in the city since yesterday and ongoing clashes between armed groups preventing first responders and medics accessing  affected areas. Activists on the ground are calling for urgent response from Syrian and international humanitarian organizations and for the government to ensure immediate humanitarian access. 

Israeli strikes have also intensified over recent days, targeting and killing members of the government’s troops. As families mourn their loved ones, there is growing concern that the escalation is deepening divisions and sowing hatred among communities in Syria, further destabilizing a peaceful transition.

Razan Rashidi, Executive Director of The Syria Campaign said:

“The coastal massacres and the violence we’re seeing today in Suwayda are not isolated events. The interim government’s failure to hold perpetrators to account in March, and to commit to a real national dialogue to ensure peaceful transition will only lead to more violence.

“The authority that appointed itself to rule Syria through the transitional period continues to fuel a culture of impunity amidst rising sectarian violations and rhetoric, and amid dangerous lack of commitment towards civil peace, transparency, justice and accountability.

“The national investigation into the coastal massacres was a crucial moment for Syria’s new authority to show that accountability and justice are more than just slogans but it is past the deadline for publication and the calls for justice are rising. Instead, what we have seen so far is a dangerous disregard to victims’ right to truth and justice.”

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