ABTAA, Syria — Dozens of Bedouin families displaced from villages in neighboring Sweida province are living in makeshift quarters inside a school in Abtaa, in Syria’s southern Daraa province, after fleeing sectarian fighting more than a month ago. A standoff between the central government in Damascus and local Druze authorities in Sweida has left the families in a state of limbo, with no clear plans for permanent housing.
Classrooms have been converted into living spaces that now hold three or four families each. Women and children sleep inside the rooms, while men often sleep in the school courtyard to preserve some privacy. The school is due to reopen this month, raising immediate concerns about where the displaced families will go if classes resume.
Munira al-Hamad, 56, who fled from the village of al-Kafr in the Sweida countryside, said her family does not want to live in tents and is pressing the government for suitable housing. "We don’t want to live in tents. We want the government to find us houses or someplace fit to live," she said. "It’s impossible for anyone to return home. Just because you’re Muslim, they’ll see you as the enemy in Sweida."
The displacement followed clashes last month between local Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and members of the Druze sect, which is a minority in Syria with a significant presence in Sweida province. What began as small-scale confrontations escalated into violence that prompted evacuations and raised fears of wider sectarian tensions in the area.
Officials in Damascus and representatives of local Druze leaders in Sweida have not reached agreement on measures to secure returns or arrange relocations for the displaced families. Aid officials and residents say the lack of coordination has prolonged the emergency shelter phase and complicated plans to convert the school back to its educational use.
Humanitarian needs among the displaced include adequate shelter, privacy for families, and durable housing solutions that would allow children to return to school and adults to resume livelihoods. Local residents described crowded conditions inside classrooms and limited options for privacy and sanitation, particularly for women and young children.
The situation illustrates broader challenges in areas of Syria where local authorities, community leaders and the central government must negotiate security arrangements and humanitarian responses after outbreaks of communal violence. Without agreement on access, security guarantees and housing, displaced families risk extended stays in temporary shelters that strain local resources.
As the school faces reopening, displaced families and local aid observers said they are awaiting concrete plans from authorities in Damascus and Sweida on relocations or alternative accommodations. Until a resolution is reached, many families said they will remain uncertain about whether they can ever safely return to their homes in Sweida.