Inside Sweida: The Syrian city ravaged by sectarian violence – where bodies line streets and homes are burned
Warning: This article contains details that some people may find disturbing.
We found the streets of Sweida city strewn with mutilated, burned and decomposing bodies as government security forces struggled to enforce the first day of a US-brokered ceasefire.
Large sections of the city seemed to be on fire as we entered the besieged, mainly Druze, city. There were multiple buildings, homes, flats, shops and businesses ravaged by flames.
We saw marauding groups of Arab tribal fighters breaking into homes and setting them alight. Others were spotted loading up vehicles with all sorts of goods.
One vehicle had a gaggle of geese on board. Others were stocked up with shrubbery. Yet more had mattresses, cupboards and fridges.
An Arab fighter rides a stolen tractor
Arab tribal fighters who travelled to Sweida
The new president sent his security forces down to the southern city to try to prevent yet more Arab tribal fighters from entering.
But early on in the day, we spotted large convoys of armed men pushing their way through the few checkpoints.
We did not see any government forces inside the centre while we were there, and they seemed to keep mainly to the outskirts.
Government security forces struggled to impose any order on the armed groups
Bedouin fighters in the Sweida province.
Pic: Reuters/Karam al-Masri
Inside the centre, there were continuing fierce battles for most of the day, between Druze militia led by cleric Hikmat al Hajiri and the Arab fighters supporting their Bedouin brethren.
One Druze woman was shot by a sniper whilst she stood on her balcony.
Her face was covered in blood, but somehow she survived despite a bullet going straight through one side of her jaw and out the other. She had also been hit on her shoulder and one arm.
She was brought to a field hospital outside the city for treatment by Bedouin fighters. She said she had no idea which of the battling factions was responsible for shooting her.
A Bedouin fighter walks near a burnt building after sectarian clashes.
Pic: Reuters/Karam al-Masri
Alex Crawford described besieged Sweida as a ‘city on fire’
Two humanitarian corridors are being created to allow the estimated 30,000 trapped civilians to exit.
A fleet of coaches with White Helmets flags flying has been sent to the perimeter of the city to prepare for civilians to come out.
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The new president addressed the nation earlier in the day, urging calm and promising to stem the violence.
His words of reassurance and inclusivity for all ethnic groups in Syria are failing to persuade some of the minority Druze and Arab Bedouin groups to lay down their arms.
How the sectarian clashes are resolved is likely to determine how successful his presidency is, and tens of thousands of lives are dependent on him finding a solution quickly.
Arab fighters who travelled to Sweida, speaking to Sky News
Special correspondent Alex Crawford speaking to a government spokesperson about the sectarian violence
By early morning Sunday, the Syrian government said its forces had cleared the city of Arab tribal fighters, a development confirmed by several tribal leaders.
The challenge will now be ensuring any ceasefire holds.
Additional reporting by camera operator Garwen McLuckie, special producer Chris Cunningham, as well as Syrian producers Mahmoud Mosa and Ahmed Rahhal
