Southern Tribes Statement: Commitment to Ceasefire and Call for Release of Detainees and Return of Displaced Persons

The Southern Tribes Association announced an immediate cessation of military operations on its part, in response to the decision of the Syrian Republic Presidency to cease hostilities in Sweida Governorate, affirming in a statement that this step comes "out of our keenness to preserve lives and reject sedition".

The statement emphasized the necessity of "releasing all detainees from the tribes' members without any delay", considering it a fundamental step to build trust, and called for securing a safe return for the displaced to their villages "without imposing any conditions or exceptions", while emphasizing the need to activate a societal dialogue to prevent the renewal of confrontations and establish the foundations of stability in southern Syria.

The association clarified that the tribes' members "have never been advocates of war", but they were forced to defend themselves after "their areas and people were subjected to attacks", affirming that "resorting to arms was not a choice but a necessity imposed by reality".

At the end of the statement, the association saluted the supporters of the tribes from various parts of Syria, and mourned the martyrs of the confrontations, considering that "civil solidarity is the only way to immunize the south from chaos".