Written by Nawras Aziz for the True platform
During the bloody events that took place in the Suweida governorate in southern Syria, starting on July 13, between local Druze groups on one side, and groups of Bedouins alongside forces from the Ministry of Defense and Public Security and Arab tribes on the other, the pace of misinformation on social media escalated, with some Syrian and Arab media outlets contributing to it.
With the intensification of battles and the start of internal displacement, as well as the opening of corridors to evacuate Bedouin families from the governorate, discussions began about the numbers and percentage of Bedouins in Suweida. Arab and local media outlets circulated figures regarding this, but these numbers differed from one report to another.
On July 17, a report on the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper website indicated that there are 250,000 Bedouins residing in the Suweida governorate, constituting a third of the population.
Another report titled “Head of the Supreme Council of Syrian Tribes and Clans: The Departure of Families from Suweida is a Temporary Displacement,” published on the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper’s website on July 21, stated that the percentage of Arab tribes constitutes 30 percent of the population, without providing the total number of residents in the governorate.
On July 19, Al Jazeera Mubasher’s Instagram platform published a video clip titled:
“Their population is 250,000” What do you know about the Bedouin tribes in the Syrian city of Suweida? Meanwhile, the video did not mention any source for its statistical information.
Accounts on the X platform reported information and figures that between 50,000 and 140,000 Bedouins claimed they were displaced due to the violence in Suweida.
Rebutting the First Claim
After conducting research and investigation, we obtained an official document from the Civil Registry Department in the Suweida governorate. This document is the most recent one, dated December 31, 2023. It has been authenticated by the former governor, Bassam Mamdouh Barsik, who held the position from July 2022 to May 2024.
According to the document, the total population of the governorate is 569,861, with approximately 33,122 individuals identified as Bedouins. This number reflects their population in the governorate as of the document’s date.
Based on this statistic, Bedouins make up 5.81% of the population of Suweida, which is less than 6%. This figure contradicts claims made by certain Arab media outlets that there are 250,000 Bedouins in the area or that they constitute one-third (30%) of the governorate’s population.
Rebutting the Second Claim
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in its latest update on Thursday, August 14, that more than 190,000 people have been displaced due to the recent violence.
A review and research of UN reports regarding the situation in Suweida indicates that they do not differentiate between Bedouins displaced outside the governorate and Druze displaced internally within it. When mentioning displaced persons, the reports from the international organization do not specify the individuals’ identities, as their figures include all those displaced both inside and outside the governorate, whether Bedouins or Druze.
In this context, some accounts on the platform X have claimed that the number of displaced Bedouins has reached 150,000. However, we were able to obtain a database prepared by the Syrian Ministry of Disasters and Emergencies, which include statistics from shelters, civil defense, and municipalities in Daraa. These databases indicate that the number of displaced Bedouins was approximately 28,768 as of August 9.
Conclusion:
- The numbers and percentages reported by Arab media outlets regarding the Bedouins in the Suweida governorate are fabricated.
- The claim that the number of displaced Bedouins reached 150,000 is fabricated.
- According to official documents, the number of Bedouins in the Suweida governorate was about 33,122 people by the end of 2023.
- According to the Syrian Ministry of Disasters and Emergencies, the number of Bedouins who were displaced was around 28,768 as of August 9.
- The claims regarding the percentages and numbers of Bedouins in Suweida, as well as the figures and percentages concerning those displaced from the governorate, have been found to be fabricated and baseless. Consequently, this information has been categorised as “fabricated” according to the “True Platform” methodology.
