Nawwar Horani

August 10, 2022 Daily assassinations in Daraa in southern Syria have recently increased in an unprecedented way, targeting leaders and members of militias affiliated with the Syrian government forces, drug smugglers and traffickers, government employees, gunmen and opposition civilians. This has been going on for the past four years despite the settlement agreement between the Syrian government and the opposition under Russian mediation in July 2018.

Kidnappings for the purpose of collecting ransom have increased this year in southern Syria, stirring panic and fear among civilians. These operations are taking place in the absence of any intervention by police forces and army checkpoints at the entrances to the cities and towns in Daraa.

According to several medical sources in Daraa province, southern Syria, the number of registered coronavirus cases have exceeded 52,000 infections from the beginning of October until Nov. 17. This surge in infections comes amid a collapsing health sector in the province, and the medical centers’ inability to contain the pandemic and provide basic health services, prompting them to launch popular initiatives to collect donations in a bid to secure the necessary treatment supplies.