More than 200 people had gathered around the building in the center of the city, chanting slogans calling for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Dozens of protesters protesting Syria’s worsening economic situation stormed the governor’s office in the southern city of Sweida on Sunday and set fire to parts of the building amid heavy gunfire, residents and witnesses said.
Earlier, more than 200 people had gathered around the building in the center of the mainly Druze city, chanting slogans calling for the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad, they said, amid soaring prices and economic distress.
According to Syrian state media, dozens of “outlaws” attacked the governor’s office and burned files and official documents. Three eyewitnesses told Reuters the governor was not in the building, which had been evacuated before protesters attacked the offices. “The governor’s office was completely burned from the inside,” said Rayan Maarouf, a political activist and editor-in-chief of Suwayda 24, a local website covering the southern region, who said several people were injured in the shootout.
“There was heavy gunfire,” Maarouf told Reuters, adding that it was unclear where the shots came from in the heavily policed ​​area.
A source at the city’s hospital said one civilian treated there succumbed to his gunshot wounds, while another who was also injured by bullets remains in the hospital.
Sweda province has been spared the violence experienced by other parts of Syria since the war began in 2011 when pro-democracy protests against the rule of the Assad family were violently suppressed by security forces.
The Druze minority, whose faith is rooted in Islam, have avoided involvement in Syria’s conflict in which mainly Sunni rebels are fighting Assad.
Many community leaders and Druze top religious leaders refused to enlist in the army.
Syria is going through a deep economic crisis in which a majority of people, after a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions more, are struggling to secure food and other basic goods.
Eyewitnesses in Sweda told Reuters that when protesters entered the building, they took down pictures of Assad.
🔴📹📸 #Syria– Angry people storm Assad regime building in city of #Sweidagunshots heard.
People ripping Assad pictures and storming government building pic.twitter.com/4i61ue5TXb— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) December 4, 2022
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
