US-Syrian Agreement for Prisoner Exchange Between Bedouins and Druze in Sweida Faces Internal Obstacles

Special sources revealed to "Syrian TV" channel today, Monday, that the United States and Syria have reached a preliminary agreement for a prisoner exchange between Bedouin tribes and groups of Druze in Sweida province, in a step aimed at calming the sectarian tensions that have escalated in recent months in the south of the country.

The agreement, which was brokered by an unannounced American sponsorship, is considered a notable development in the path of containing the crisis, especially after a wave of clashes and mutual kidnappings that left casualties on both sides and raised fears of the situation slipping into a long-term civil conflict.

Despite reaching a formula for understanding, the implementation of the agreement faces internal obstacles, the most prominent of which is the rejection by some armed groups operating outside the law in Sweida, which oppose any settlement with the Bedouins, according to the sources.

Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, the most prominent spiritual reference for the Druze community, also faces difficulties in convincing these parties of the necessity to adhere to the agreement, amid internal divisions regarding the feasibility of reconciliation.