Suweida Governor, Namir Makhlouf, cousin of regime president Bashar al-Assad, was expelled and humiliated by residents of the area during a visit to a village in the governorate, which is suffering from deteriorating economic conditions.
Suwayda 24 reported that community groups in the al-Mazraa town blocked the town’s road to Suweida city, refusing the visit of Governor Namir Makhlouf and the Secretary of the Baath Party branch, Fawzat Shukair.
Maghawir al-Karama faction, the most prominent local armed formation in the town, warned against the visit and said: “You must provide the basic requirements of the citizen, including the minimum entitlements of life before you distribute your poison through your suspicious visits and malicious goals.”
Social and security authorities are trying to persuade community groups opposed to the visit, while the latter has stipulated that quantities of gasoline, fuel, and gas be secured for the town’s residents. Since his appointment in late 2021, the Governor of Suweida has been making regular visits to villages and towns in the governorate, where he meets with residents and “listens to their demands”.
The Return of the Uprising
Suweida has witnessed a popular uprising in recent weeks against the backdrop of economic decline and the lack of livelihood services, such as electricity, fuel, and basic commodities, the decrease of government subsidies for the so-called “smart card”, widespread unemployment, and security chaos for militias in the region.
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This comes as residents in the town of al-Mazraa in the western countryside of Suweida called for the renewal of the popular demand movement starting from Saturday, due to the deteriorating living conditions and the failure to meet the demands for which the movement happened.
On Wednesday night, residents set tires on the highway in the Busan village to protest against poor services and lack of interest in eastern rural villages, leaving them without bread. According to local sources, the lack of heating fuel and the continuous power outage of more than 36 hours under difficult weather conditions led to protests by some residents in the center of the village.
Security violations
The town of Qanawat and the city of Suweida experienced tension on Wednesday night, and civil groups clashed with some checkpoints, following provocative practices, particularly the checkpoint of the Suweida-Qanawat road. Soldiers on the checkpoint chased a civilian who refused to stop on his motorcycle and beat him.
In response to the provocation, members of the Fahd forces attacked the checkpoint with machine guns and missiles, and clashes continued for an hour.
After the clashes, Fahd forces went to the Palace of Faisal al-Qasim, which was captured by the National Defence years ago and taken as its command center.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
