Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, spiritual leader of the Druze community, spoke to Sky News Arabia about the latest situation and developments in Suwayda. Stating that the people of Suwayda have an inalienable right to determine their own destiny, he said, “Our vision is based on the complete independence of the Suwayda province.”
Following attacks by armed groups affiliated with the Syrian Transitional Government, 600 people, including women, were abducted or went missing, he said.
The Druze leader noted that the government in Damascus, obstructing negotiations on this matter, has still not decided to evacuate the destroyed villages and continues to distort the facts.
Calling on the international community to recognize the massacre suffered by the people of Suwayda, al-Hijri stressed that the truth of what happened must be revealed.
The southern Syrian province of Suwayda was targeted by a wave of attacks carried out by Syrian Transitional Government forces and affiliated armed groups in July. Hundreds of people were killed in these attacks, while more than 200 were executed in public squares.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria launched the second phase of its investigation in Suwayda last week. The committee is hearing statements from those affected by the military attacks in July and from the families of victims. The committee announced that it would publish an official report as soon as the investigation was complete.