Christians flee homes in Suwayda, Syria, as violence continues in region

As fighting between Druze and Bedouin fighters continues, please pray for our brothers and sisters caught in the middle of the violence.

Around 90 Christians have fled their homes from villages around Suwayda in Syria because of the recent eruption of violence between Druze and Bedouin fighters.  

The fighting started last weekend and escalated when Syrian security forces tried to restore order in the city, which was followed by several air-raids on Syrian troops by the Israeli army. 

• Syrian church narrowly escapes bombing 

Christians feel stuck in the midst of all the violence. Years of civil war, the atrocities of so-called Islamic State, the oppression of the former government and the uncertainty with the new government, and recent reports of violent attacks: all these things come together to make Christians feel unsafe and unsure in their homeland.

Many Christians feel pressured to leave the region. Some believers found refuge in the church of priest Father Tony, in the village of Al-Shahba. “The Christians left their houses without anything, clothes or food,” Father Tony says. “All the markets in the city are closed, and the roads were not safe to bring food.  

“We tried to secure the people’s needs, but the situation is bad. We pray that peace will come, and the street war will end, so we can secure the people’s needs.” 

More than 200 killed in fighting 

According to Open Doors sources, the people in Suwayda and surrounding areas are facing power outages, a near-total lack of internet and mobile services and a shortage of water. Also, the services of the Suwayda National Hospital are negatively affected.  

On Wednesday (16 July), there were renewed Israeli attacks on positions of the Syrian army, killing several of the military. Israeli fighter jets also attacked some government targets in the Syrian capital Damascus. The Syrian army is involved in fighting with Druze militia in the city, who have Israel’s backing. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that over 200 people have been killed in the past few days. The Orthodox Archdiocese of Bosra, Horan, Jabal Al-Arab and Golan has also sent out an appeal to open ‘humanitarian corridors’. They write: “Our brothers in humanity, the province of Suweida, where more than 300 thousand families are currently suffering from suffocation, having no water, electricity, medicine or food; a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding now. Open the humanitarian corridors; contribute to ending this siege. We remain steadfast on this mountain until the end, asking God for relief.”

Please pray

Please pray for all the innocent people caught in the midst of this violence. Pray that the fighting won’t escalate further. Pray that soon peace will return to the south of Syria. 

“Please pray for us; we need that,” says Father Tony. “We ask all churches in the world to pray for the Christians of the South of Syria because many are oppressed and displaced, and they have lost their homes.”