Syria’s Suwayda gets new aid route

Shafaq News — Damascus / Suwayda

On Friday, police in Syria’s southern city of Suwayda have opened a new corridor to deliver food and other essentials after weeks of disruption caused by clashes and road closures.

In a statement, Police Chief Ahmad al-Dalati said the Interior Ministry, working with the Chamber of Commerce, sent large shipments of food that arrived in mid-August, following a deepening humanitarian crisis.

He noted that traders had already stopped deliveries after receiving threats, which, according to security expert Nidal al-Ahmad, were designed to "cut supplies altogether."

However, a Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteer told Shafaq News that "convoys still face risks despite government measures."

“We have been living for weeks on limited food,” Abu Marwan, a father of four, told Shafaq News. “Any halt in supplies will push prices higher, and we can barely provide for our families.”

Clashes in Suwayda since mid-July have killed hundreds and forced more than 128,000 people to flee. Just over a dozen aid convoys reached the city in August — an average of one every two days.