Suwayda’s Druze factions form “National Guard” after autonomy demands

SUWAYDA, SYRIA – A broad coalition of local factions in Suwayda Governorate announced on Saturday their merger into a single military body called the “National Guard,” formed to address the security vacuum, curb the spread of weapons in the area, and after voices for more autonomy and decentralization grow louder. 

In a statement released through its media office, the newly established force said its mission is to create “an organized and robust entity dedicated to safeguarding the homeland and its people.” The group also declared its allegiance to the “supreme spiritual authority” Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, widely regarded as the legitimate representative of the Druze community in the governorate.

In recent months, Suwayda has witnessed repeated attacks — at times carried out by public security forces affiliated with the new Syrian government, and at others by armed groups from local Bedouin tribes. The violence has fueled sectarian and ethnically driven massacres, deepening the climate of chaos and insecurity. 

With the collapse of the truce between the government and the tribes on one side and the Druze on the other side, and the subsequent withdrawal of their forces from the governorate, Druze faction leaders say the need has grown for a unified force capable of restoring order and imposing discipline. 

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The statement from the “National Guard” outlined the group’s main objectives, emphasizing the protection of the region and the defense of the “Unitarian Druze identity.” It added that the force will assume direct security duties, including maintaining order in cities and towns, preventing security breaches and organized crime, and securing the governorate’s eastern desert borders to block the infiltration of extremist groups and curb smuggling activities.

The statement stressed that the new formation will function as “the official military institution representing the community,” while leaving room for cooperation with “auxiliary forces.” The wording was seen as a veiled signal of potential coordination with regional or international actors if the security situation demands it. 

The unification brought together dozens of well-known local factions in the governorate, including the Sheikh al-Karama Forces, Mountain Eagle Forces, Nashama al-Jabal, Saraya al-Jabal, Counter-Terrorism Forces, Lajat Shield Forces, Army of the Unitarians, Druze Protection Units, and several others that have long fought sporadic battles against armed gangs and Islamic State terrorists. 

Observers say the unification carries political implications that go beyond immediate security needs. The consensus around Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri’s authority is seen as an effort to establish a unified spiritual and political leadership, ensuring that military decision-making in Suwayda remains anchored in the Druze community’s traditional social structure. 

However, some analysts caution that consolidating the Druze community under a single armed formation could risk sparking direct confrontation with the central government in Daramsuq (Damascus)—which has clearly opposed autonomy or decentralization for Syria’s different components in the Druze mountains, the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria, and the Druze in Suwayda—if they come to view the “National Guard” as a threat or as a parallel military force.