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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Corruption, Theft, and Food Shortages<\/strong> Field Testimonies<\/strong> Aid Looting and Commercialization<\/strong> Public Outrage and Calls for Accountability<\/strong> Political and Security Context<\/strong> 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 ShortagesLocal NGO workers confirmed the prevalence of corruption and theft during aid distribution in the governorate, triggering a severe food crisis, according …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-2987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-s1"],"yoast_head":"\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The activist group Ain Al-Hikma in Sweida released a video featuring one of its workers, stating that \u201cpeople are crying out of poverty,\u201d and highlighting that some local aid committees \u201chave gone beyond theft and started selling the aid.\u201d The group added that individual initiatives have become the only source of genuine assistance, urging so-called \u201ccrisis profiteers,\u201d who collected millions of dollars in donations, to intervene to help those affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activists and residents of Sweida shared numerous complaints on social media regarding the food crisis and aid distribution issues, describing the aid as \u201chumiliating people instead of honoring them.\u201d Comments blamed committees, local sheikhs, and armed factions for seizing aid and turning it into personal gain, noting that \u201cthe money has been converted into apartments and cars in the hands of crisis profiteers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The crisis unfolds while Sweida\u2019s 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 \u201cright to self-determination.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"