22 May 2025
A group of armed men in southern Syria briefly held hostage the governor of Suweida on Wednesday, after storming his office and demanding the release of an imprisoned associate.
Mustafa Bakkour was detained inside Suweida’s town hall, where the perpetrators physically and verbally assaulted the local official, as well as confiscated his personal belongings.
Other employees and security guards were also detained during the ordeal, the information ministry said, demanding the release of a prisoner previously convicted of stealing vehicles.
Bakkour was eventually released by the hostage takers after Syrian authorities agreed to set free the prisoner, to ensure the safety of the governor.
Bakkour had previously pledged to intervene and mediate for the prisoner’s release, but this was delayed due developments in the governorate, according to The New Arab’s Arabic-language site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The attack was condemned by Syria’s director of public relations, who said that law enforcement and protecting security in the Suweida is an “irreversible option”.
“We will not tolerate any attempt to destabilize security or undermine state institutions,” the authority said.
Suweida has been hit by unrest in recent months, by criminal gangs and armed Druze groups, including clashes with government security forces.
One activist, Omar Halabi, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the incident “does not represent the morals of the people of Suweida“.
“We are a society that relies on dialogue and reason, not weapons,” he said.
“These outlaws must be held accountable before everyone so that calm can return to our region”.
Source: the NewArab
