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Syria is on the brink of civil war. I fear we are already there. The fear spreading across the country is real and urgent action is needed to save lives and build peace.
The city of Suwayda, in southern Syria, has endured four days of violence. Among the hundreds of lives lost, nine people were killed as they sipped coffee in a guesthouse, two doctors were shot dead on their way to work, elderly men were abused and shops burned to the ground. One of my close friends lost his brother when he was killed by a mortar in his car. He was a young father and political prisoner who was only released from Assad’s prisons when Assad fell.
As Druze communities mourn the brutal murders of hundreds of people, hate speech and sectarian rhetoric is on the rise and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding with many calling for Suwayda to be declared a disaster zone.
Now, Bedouin communities are being forcibly displaced from the area and reports of mass killings are flooding our WhatsApp groups and news feeds.
Amidst this heartbreak, Israel is also attacking our cities and on Wednesday planes bombed Damascus, claiming to protect the Druze minority but in reality deepening divisions and fueling the conflict.
Escalating violence is not inevitable. It can still be stopped. It is caused by the impunity that has been allowed to flourish worldwide. The crimes taking place now follow the massacres on the Syrian coast in March, where more than a thousand were killed but we still await publication of the national investigation into the violence. There was the opportunity over the past six months to do things differently but the new interim authority has failed to take any meaningful steps towards justice and accountability, or protect the lives of civilians. Syria’s young generation deserve better.
The warning signs are clear: if justice is not done, if every Syrian community is not brought into a national dialogue, if truth and rule of law are not protected, the situation will spiral further — at a time when people are still reeling from over a decade of war.
Our world leaders have the responsibility to restore the basic norms that are meant to govern our societies. We cannot allow states to invade and bomb without consequence. Authorities must be held to account.
The UN must urgently deploy an independent UN monitoring and documentation mission to investigate violations and ensure immediate humanitarian access to every part of the country.
We are scared but we also believe Syrians will build a peaceful Syria. We know the power of solidarity and of protest.