Syrianโ City of Suweida Grapples with Renewed Conflict, Venezuelan Community Finds Resilience Amidst Fear
Suweida, Syria – โrenewed clashes are shattering a fragile truce in Syria’s Suweida province, forcing residents – including a growing Venezuelan community – to confrontโฃ escalating โviolence and a deepening humanitarian crisis. While the region once offered a โคhaven for those โขseeking refuge from Syria’s civil war, it is now facing a resurgenceโ of conflict, leaving many trapped between two worlds and fearing โfor their lives.
Suweida has become an unlikely home to a significant number ofโ Venezuelans, many of Druze heritage, who sought stability and connection to their roots in the early years of the syrian conflict. However, the recent breakdown of the truce has brought the horrors of war directly to their doorsteps, mirroring the instability they initially fled.
“I saw a mortar fall in front of my house,” recounts a Venezuelan engineer, whose name has โbeen withheld for security reasons. She describes a daily reality punctuated by bombings โฃand the trauma inflicted upon โher three children. Her story is echoed byโข others, detailing murdered friends, burned towns, and forced displacements. “I want to get out โof here.I can no longer continueโค living with this fear.”
The escalating violence is compoundedโฃ by a breakdown in โeconomic and political ties between Syria and Venezuela. Remittances from family members in South America, a vital lifeline for many, are dwindling due to inflation and difficulties with money transfers. Carmelinda, a Venezuelan woman assisting her neighbors in Suweida, highlights the desperate โsituation. “My mother has diabetes and there is no insulin. I can’t leaveโฃ her, even though they offered me to return to Venezuela.” She describes a landscape where even basic necessities like drinking water are scarce.
Reports of atrocities are also surfacing. Carmelinda recounts a horrific incident where a mother and two children were murderedโ in their home, their killers openly โboasting of their motives. She andโ her neighbors have endured direct threats, living โin fear and taking shelter in her home, “we have shots in the walls and we are afraid to use candles in case they see the light from outside.”
Despiteโฃ the pervasive fear, the โVenezuelan community in Suweidaโ is demonstratingโ remarkable resilience. carmelinda, who runs a crafts workshop to โsupport the mental health of women impacted by the conflict, embodies this spirit. “I don’tโ do great actions, but when people know that there isโ someone who helps, that is already comforting.Peace โstarts โขwith smallโฃ things,”โฃ she says.
Both interviewees express a deep connection to Venezuela, viewing it โas a homeland they long to return to. “When I return, the first thing I will do is kiss the earth,”โ Carmelinda states, even without immediate family remaining โthere. The engineerโค emphasizes theโข sharedโฃ values between the syrian and Venezuelan people โ- dignity, joy, and honesty โ- particularly within the Druze community. “This has created a very special touch.”
Suweida, once a symbol of cultural reunion,โค is now โa fractured city. Yet, the โVenezuelan community continues to maintain its identity and offer support, finding strength in shared heritage and a determination to persevere, even in the face of unimaginable hardship. Their story serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of conflict and the enduring power of hope amidst despair.
