DAMASCUS: Renewed sectarian clashes in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province killed at least four people on Sunday, as Damascus accused local groups of violating last month’s ceasefire.
The province witnessed deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins in July that drew the intervention of government forces and tribal fighters who came to support the Bedouins.
A ceasefire put an end to the week of bloodshed — which killed 1,400 people — but the situation remained tense, flaring into violence again on Sunday.
Three Syrian security forces personnel were reportedly killed as clashes erupted with local factions around Tal Hadid in the western Sweida countryside.
A “local fighter” was also reported as dead.
Tal Hadid, controlled by government security forces, is a control point at a relatively high altitude, allowing whoever holds it to overlook neighboring areas.
Fighting also erupted around the city of Thaala, following bombardment of the area with shells and heavy weapons launched from areas under the control of government forces, while the sound of explosions and gunfire was heard in various parts of Sweida city.
Syrian state-run news agency SANA accused Druze groups loyal to influential spiritual leader Hikmat Al-Hijri of breaching the ceasefire by attacking government troops in Tal Hadid, killing one security forces officer and injuring others.
In a statement, the Syrian interior ministry accused local groups of “launching treacherous attacks against internal security forces in several locations and striking some villages with rockets and mortars, resulting in the killing and wounding of a number of security personnel.”
A security source told Syrian state television that government forces regained control of Tal Hadid and other areas that were attacked on Sunday.
Renewed sectarian clashes in south Syria kill four
https://arab.news/25jzb
Renewed sectarian clashes in south Syria kill four
- SANA accused Druze groups loyal to influential spiritual leader Hikmat Al-Hijri of breaching the ceasefire by attacking government troops in Tal Hadid
WHO alarmed by health workers, civilians ‘forcibly detained’ in Sudan
- The WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, though it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency
GENEVA: The World Health Organization voiced alarm Tuesday at reports that more than 70 health workers and around 5,000 civilians were being detained in Nyala in southwestern Sudan.
Since April 2023, Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million more and devastated infrastructure.
“We are concerned by reports from Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur state, that more than 70 health care workers are being forcibly detained along with about 5,000 civilians,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
“According to the Sudan Doctors Network, the detainees are being held in cramped and unhealthy conditions, and there are reports of disease outbreaks,” the UN health agency chief said.
The RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction allied earlier this year, forming a coalition based in Nyala.
“WHO is gathering more information on the detentions and conditions of those being held. The situation is complicated by the ongoing insecurity,” said Tedros.
“The reported detentions of health workers and thousands more people is deeply concerning. Health workers and civilians should be protected at all times and we call for their safe and unconditional release.”
The WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, though it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency.
In total, the WHO has recorded 65 attacks on health care in Sudan this year, resulting in 1,620 deaths and 276 injuries. Of those attacks, 54 impacted personnel, 46 impacted facilities and 33 impacted patients.
Earlier Tuesday, UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was “alarmed by the further intensification in hostilities” in the Kordofan region in southern Sudan.
“I urge all parties to the conflict and states with influence to ensure an immediate ceasefire and to prevent atrocities,” he said.
“Medical facilities and personnel have specific protection against attack under international humanitarian law,” Turk added.
