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Armed Groups Block Syrian Students From Exams in Suwayda for 2nd Day
(MENAFN) Students in Syria's southern Suwayda province were blocked from reaching exam centers for a second consecutive day on Sunday, as "outlaw groups" continued sealing off roads across the region, according to a Syrian broadcaster.
The broadcaster reported that these groups erected three additional checkpoints along the Suwayda-Shahba road, specifically targeting students trying to reach testing sites in Suwayda's northern countryside.
The broadcaster said members of the groups physically attacked students who attempted to walk around the checkpoints on foot.
Despite the disruption, the channel reported that "Civil defense and Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society teams are stationed around the centers to provide support and respond to any emergency during the exam period."
The blockades follow an Aug. 17 decree from Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, which granted students in Suwayda an exceptional makeup exam session for those unable to sit for or finish this year's tests.
That decree came in direct response to a earlier wave of disruptions, when armed groups loyal to Hikmat al-Hijri — a Druze leader based in Suwayda — blocked students from reaching exam sites in what officials describe as a broader effort to paralyze daily life in the province. Suwayda has remained under a ceasefire agreement since July 2025.
Al-Hijri rose to prominence after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, when he called for Suwayda to break from Syria's central government and pursue what he termed "independence." He has since cultivated close ties with Israel, which has publicly backed his efforts.
The broadcaster reported that these groups erected three additional checkpoints along the Suwayda-Shahba road, specifically targeting students trying to reach testing sites in Suwayda's northern countryside.
The broadcaster said members of the groups physically attacked students who attempted to walk around the checkpoints on foot.
Despite the disruption, the channel reported that "Civil defense and Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society teams are stationed around the centers to provide support and respond to any emergency during the exam period."
The blockades follow an Aug. 17 decree from Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, which granted students in Suwayda an exceptional makeup exam session for those unable to sit for or finish this year's tests.
That decree came in direct response to a earlier wave of disruptions, when armed groups loyal to Hikmat al-Hijri — a Druze leader based in Suwayda — blocked students from reaching exam sites in what officials describe as a broader effort to paralyze daily life in the province. Suwayda has remained under a ceasefire agreement since July 2025.
Al-Hijri rose to prominence after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, when he called for Suwayda to break from Syria's central government and pursue what he termed "independence." He has since cultivated close ties with Israel, which has publicly backed his efforts.
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