30 people dead and 100 injured following armed clashes in Syrian city, say officials
At least 30 people have been killed and 100 injured in the Syrian city of Suwayda in armed clashes between local military groups and clans.
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The Syrian Interior Ministry has said that the clashes represent a 'direct threat to civil peace in the region' as they announce that government forces will intervene to resolve the conflict.
A statement from the Ministry said: "This will ensure that such tragedies are not repeated, restore stability, and consolidate the rule of law."
The Reuters news agency has reported that the clashes were between Druze gunmen and Bedouin Sunni tribes.
It added that a witness said that the violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Suwayda.
The city is mostly made up of those who follow the Druze faith, with a Greek Orthodox Christian and Sunni Muslim minority.
Anas Khattab, Syrian Minister of the Interior, said in a statement on X: "The absence of state institutions, particularly military and security ones, is a primary reason for the ongoing tensions in Suwayda and its countryside.
"There is no solution to this except by imposing security and activating the role of institutions to ensure civil peace and the return of life to its normal state in all its details."