In a move described by the Syrian government as a "message of national unity," a large-scale donation campaign was launched in the town of Soura al-Sughra in the Sweida countryside, southern Syria, targeting the restoration of damaged schools, places of worship, and homes, as well as the rehabilitation of electricity, water, and road networks. This campaign is particularly important in the western and northern countrysides, which have witnessed significant deterioration in services in recent months.
This campaign is one of the largest civil and official initiatives launched in the governorate, and one of the initiatives launched in most Syrian governorates to raise donations to contribute to the restoration of infrastructure.
However, the Sweida initiative comes at a time when the governorate is experiencing a sharp division following a wave of violence that has swept the region in recent months, resulting in hundreds of deaths and causing ongoing tensions between the governorate and the government in Damascus.
This has exposed the initiative to widespread criticism on social media from some residents of the governorate, who see it as a beautification of the government's image and the violations committed against residents without accountability. They also accused the campaign participants of contributing to the government's misinformation regarding the governorate.
During a government meeting, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa announced the allocation of a fund to support the campaign by collecting financial and in-kind donations for local reconstruction projects in Sweida. In a speech broadcast by state media, al-Sharaa said, "We call on Syrians at home and abroad to contribute to supporting Sweida to demonstrate true national unity.
The people of Sweida are the ones who preserved national unity during difficult times, and this feeling is still present among them." He added, "The wound that has afflicted Sweida will need time to heal, but that does not mean that it should be excluded from the path of rebuilding the nation. The province was and will remain an essential part of the Syrian national fabric." Al-Sharaa also addressed a direct message to the parties calling for Sweida's separation from Syria, stressing that "these groups do not represent the people of the province, and that the campaign represents a practical response to these calls."
Solidarity Campaign with Sweida
With the launch of the campaign, Al-Sharaa made a phone call to Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour, as well as to dignitaries and tribal sheikhs from Sweida and Daraa governorates, to express his support. For his part, Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the campaign "emerges from our responsibility towards the people of the governorate and our desire to restore life to the affected areas." He added, "Sweida is not marginalized, but rather at the heart of the state's attention.
This initiative is not merely symbolic, but has already begun on the ground." He explained that "the restoration process includes areas and villages recently recaptured by the Syrian state, and outlaws will not be dealt with." He also noted that "there is limited coordination with some service directorates within areas still outside full control, with the aim of continuing to provide essential services to the population."
He pointed out that the projects include the restoration of 50 schools, 35 Druze houses of worship, and 15 churches, in addition to equipping 20,000 homes and 40 municipalities, and rehabilitating water and electricity networks, streets, public lighting, and the "Samee" station, which supplies the western and northern countryside. He noted that the campaign had raised more than $14,633,000 by the end of its activities.
The New Arab, Zaman Al Wasl
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.