As Suwayda agreement takes shape, here are key Druze players in Syria
The Syrian Druze community has three prominent religious leaders, as well as a number of armed groups that continue to operate in the area after the civil war.
A ceasefire agreement reached Wednesday appears to be holding between Druze factions, Sunni Bedouin clans and government forces in Syria’s southern province of Suwayda.
The violence, which killed more than 370 people in the province, erupted on Sunday following a series of kidnappings between the groups.
The fighting has brought into focus the volatile security and political balance in Suwayda, a Druze-majority region. It also underscored the broader security risks involving different ethnic and religious groups in the country as the nascent Syrian government attempts to assert authority over the country.
The Druze number around 700,000 in Syria, constituting roughly 3% of the population, one of several religious minorities in Syria alongside Kurds, Alawites, Christians, Ismailis and others.
Throughout the Syrian war, the community tried to stay neutral while clashing at times with the former Assad regime.
