Twelve civilians feared kidnapped along Sweida humanitarian corridor

Six women abducted on way from Deraa to Sweida in southern Syria

A member of the Syrian security forces fires a weapon amid clashes in Sweida in July. AFP

Twelve civilians were reportedly kidnapped in Deraa province on Sunday while returning to Sweida, including six women. Local sources informed the local news website Suwayda 24 that the abducted people had departed from Sahnaya on a bus heading towards Sweida via a route through the Deraa countryside designated as a “humanitarian corridor” connecting Deraa and Sweida provinces.

This corridor was established to help enable civilian movement under the supervision of government forces amid the continuing closure of the main Damascus–Sweida road, which has been blocked for a month. However, after the bus reached the Kaheel area east of Deraa it was intercepted by a group of armed men who abducted all of its passengers. The incident took place in an area that reportedly has government security checkpoints.

A source close to one of the kidnapped people told Suwayda 24 that they lost communication with their relative after the bus entered Deraa province. The source added that only limited information has been available since then.

Sweida city has effectively been under siege for the past month, with only limited humanitarian assistance making its way in. Despite this, the Syrian government continues to deny that any blockade is taking place. Small-scale aid deliveries have been permitted in recent weeks.

The situation on the ground has been further complicated by a wave of abductions. Last week, five aid workers were kidnapped in Syria while attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies from the Damascus suburb of Jaramana to Sweida, according to colleagues of theirs who spoke to The National.

The aid convoy, consisting of eight vehicles carrying privately donated supplies from Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, was ambushed en route. Unknown attackers looted seven of the vehicles, halting the delivery of much-needed resources to the province, which is experiencing severe shortages of food, electricity and water.

Locals in Sweida describe dire conditions in the aftermath of last month’s violent clashes between Druze fighters and armed tribal groups aligned with government forces. A ceasefire, along with a government-imposed lockdown announced on July 19, has left the province heavily dependent on sporadic aid.

Although many of the tribal fighters retreated from Sweida after the ceasefire, residents report that some are still present along vital access routes, restricting the flow of goods into the area.

Since the July fighting, an estimated 192,000 people have been internally displaced within the province. Aid continues to arrive in limited amounts through a single crossing point, prompting private donors and international organisations to step in with convoy deliveries. These efforts, however, must be co-ordinated with Syrian authorities, adding further to the complexity of the humanitarian situation.