1. Home
2. Middle East
3. Detainee Swap in Sweida Following Deadly Clashes

The Syrian government and Druze factions in the southern province of Sweida carried out an exchange of 86 detainees on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) declared.

The detainees had been held since deadly violence erupted in the Druze-majority stronghold in the summer of 2025. Sweida remains the last major territory outside government control, as Damascus continues efforts to consolidate authority across a country fractured by nearly 14 years of civil war.

In a statement, the ICRC said it had “facilitated the release of 86 detainees between Damascus and Sweida,” specifying that 61 were transferred to Sweida and 25 to the capital.

A Druze source told AFP earlier this week that negotiations, mediated by the United States, were underway between the Syrian government and a Druze religious leader to finalize the agreement.

At a checkpoint in Al-Mtouna, in the northern part of the province under government control, AFP journalists saw two buses transporting detainees from Adra prison near Damascus. Escorted by Syrian forces and the ICRC, the convoy headed toward Sweida, accompanied by an ambulance and a Red Cross vehicle.

Shortly afterwards, a bus carrying members of the security forces and the army who had been detained by the National Guard, an armed faction in Sweida, arrived as part of the exchange. Syrian state television reported a “significant deployment” of security forces along the Damascus–Sweida highway to secure the operation.

Stephan Sakalian, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria, expressed hope that the exchange would pave the way for further releases and open dialogue on the fate of those reported missing since the July violence.

Clashes initially broke out between Druze fighters and Bedouin groups before escalating following the intervention of government forces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the violence left more than 2,000 people dead, including 789 Druze civilians. Survivors and rights groups reported abuses and summary executions targeting the minority.

Although a ceasefire took effect on July 20, tensions remain high and access to Sweida is still restricted. Residents accuse the government of imposing a siege on areas outside its control that are sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people.

AFP