Nearly 11 months since the fall of the regime, simmering insecurity and uncontrolled weapons continue to destabilize communities and claim lives in Syria’s southern Daraa province.
As Syria stares down drought and a changing climate, farmers and officials in agriculture-dependent Daraa province grapple with how to adapt.
Historic drought, degraded infrastructure and unregulated well drilling drain Daraa’s water as authorities struggle to respond to the country’s worst water crisis in decades.
Caught between the Suwayda crisis to the east and Israeli incursions to the west, Daraa grapples with new security, economic and social challenges.
Some Syrians returning from Jordan to Daraa use caravans smuggled out of Zaatari camp as temporary shelters while they work to rebuild their destroyed homes.
Suwayda has established a temporary office to run the province independently from the central government, while activists press forward with civil initiatives they hope could ease tensions and pave a path forward.
Druze and Bedouin families are united in pain, if little else, reeling with uncertainty and loss after days of deadly violence in Suwayda.
Syria’s southern Daraa province has seen serious violations and abuses by new general security personnel—including killings, the abuse of corpses and personal revenge operations by “controversial” personnel.
Syria’s worst drought in decades has wiped out rain-fed crops and diminished yields across the country, devastating farmers and raising the risk of food shortages.
After a short-lived period of calm, clashes returned to Suwayda province on Tuesday, raising questions about the durability of a recent security agreement and the risk of a new wave of violence in southern Syria.
