Five Druze civilians shot dead by policeman

Five Druze civilians were killed by a policeman who opened fire on them whilst they were working in olive fields in Al-Matouna village in the countryside of Suwayda Province, Syria, on 7 February.

Khalid Al-Jirdi, Samer Amer, Hadi Amer and Maher Amer were killed instantly, while a fifth victim, Firas Halabi, was severely wounded and taken to hospital where he passed away on 15 February. CSW sources report that the incident was unprovoked and the suspect was arrested and taken for interrogation.

Sectarian tensions between the Sunni majority and the Druze minority have been rising since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Relations deteriorated significantly following large-scale attacks by Sunni tribes on Druze neighbourhoods and villages in July 2025. Hundreds were killed from both sides, with many others taken hostage by both sides. There are allegations that army and police units sent by the government to intervene and stabilise the situation were ambushed by Druze militia.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW strongly condemns this latest sectarian attack, which targeted civilians who were merely tending to fields. We call on the Syrian government to act firmly and decisively to put an immediate end to sectarian incitement and violence, and to bring all perpetrators to justice. The international community must urge the Syrian government to show a greater commitment towards clamping down on sectarianism and working with international partners to promote the values of peace, mutual respect and equality of citizenship.’