ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Druze community in Syria's southern Suwayda province is set to hold a day of mourning on Wednesday, a UK-based monitor reported Tuesday, noting that the ceremonies mark the first anniversary of deadly clashes with government forces and allied armed groups that left hundreds of Druze dead in what the community has dubbed "Black July."
"The mourning ceremony will be held at 11:00 am [local time] and will feature a complete shutdown of economic activities, markets, and private institutions to honor the victims of the 'Black July' massacres," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
Triggered by a kidnapping involving a Druze driver and local Bedouin tribesmen, the violence began as a cycle of retaliatory kidnappings and by mid-July of 2025, the unrest had escalated into full-scale conflict, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing tens of thousands, namely Druze.
The clashes widened further when the newly formed Damascus government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, deployed interior ministry and military forces to Suwayda, which rights monitors say did not function as peacekeepers, but rather aligned with Sunni Bedouin fighters in joint assaults on Druze positions.
The Syrian justice ministry earlier this month announced the commencement of public trials to prosecute those involved in the atrocities against the Druze community.
Despite this, SOHR on Tuesday cited “local figures" as warning of "heightened media incitement and hate speech campaigns" targeting the community "across various platforms and on social media."
Druze figures are urging "an end to the incitement" and demanding that "all parties uphold a discourse of peace that preserves the social fabric and prevents any attempts to fuel tensions or revive the root causes of the conflict," SOHR added.
The watchdog's report comes days after Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri warned Friday of "ongoing... lack of security, the occupation of homes, attempts at annihilation and demographic change, sieges, atrocities, and violations of sanctities" targeting Suwayda.
