Food Crisis in Sweida Amid Accusations of Aid Theft and Market Sales

Sweida Governorate is facing a worsening food crisis due to widespread corruption and the mismanagement of humanitarian aid, according to local NGO workers and reports broadcast by Syrian media.

Corruption, Theft, and Food Shortages
Local NGO workers confirmed the prevalence of corruption and theft during aid distribution in the governorate, triggering a severe food crisis, according to reports by the Syrian News Channel. Residents reportedly endure daily humiliation to obtain a single food basket, while committee and local association officials exchange accusations of theft amid the absence of state oversight and escalating disputes among armed factions.

Field Testimonies
The activist group Ain Al-Hikma in Sweida released a video featuring one of its workers, stating that “people are crying out of poverty,” and highlighting that some local aid committees “have gone beyond theft and started selling the aid.” The group added that individual initiatives have become the only source of genuine assistance, urging so-called “crisis profiteers,” who collected millions of dollars in donations, to intervene to help those affected.

Aid Looting and Commercialization
Another report revealed that influential actors seized over $160 million in expatriate donations intended for residents and infrastructure since late 2024. Testimonies from local shelters indicate that food aid either arrives incomplete or is forcibly taken by local militias, only to be resold in markets at inflated prices.

Public Outrage and Calls for Accountability
Activists and residents of Sweida shared numerous complaints on social media regarding the food crisis and aid distribution issues, describing the aid as “humiliating people instead of honoring them.” Comments blamed committees, local sheikhs, and armed factions for seizing aid and turning it into personal gain, noting that “the money has been converted into apartments and cars in the hands of crisis profiteers.”

Political and Security Context
The crisis unfolds while Sweida’s status remains unresolved. Damascus insists on integrating Sweida fully within the Syrian state, in line with the trilateral agreement with the United States and Jordan, while Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hajri continues to assert what he calls the “right to self-determination.” In July, violent clashes erupted between Druze residents and Bedouin militias, prompting security forces to intervene to stop the fighting amid deteriorating living conditions and economic hardship in the region.