A U.N. inquiry found "no indication" that Syria has investigated abuses by its security forces during intense sectarian clashes in Sweida last summer that left at least 1,700 people dead, most from the Druze minority. The commission estimates about 200,000 people were displaced and says nearly 200 of the dead were women and children. The violence began when armed groups aligned with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans; government forces intervened and effectively sided with Bedouin fighters, according to the report. President Ahmad al-Sharaa has pledged investigations and accountability, but only limited prisoner exchanges and no meaningful reconciliation have followed.

UN findings and recommendations

After weeks in Syria interviewing more than 400 survivors, officials and alleged perpetrators and visiting affected areas, the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry documented widespread looting, systematic burning, killings, abductions and desecration of religious sites. Bodies were discovered months after the fighting—some burned, mutilated or left in public—and hospitals were overwhelmed as morgues filled. The commission urged Damascus to investigate whether elements of its security leadership allowed or organized sectarian attacks, to identify and remove those responsible, and to pursue accountability for crimes against civilians. Human rights groups say the absence of effective domestic accountability risks prolonging displacement and sectarian tensions. as reported by AP News

This story has also been reported by: Reuters, ABC News, The Syrian Observer