UN: At least 128,000 people displaced by violence in southern Syria

SANAA, July 20 (YPA) – The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said, on Sunday, that the number of people displaced by the violence in southern Syria has risen to more than 128,000 within a week, .

In a statement, the UN organization reported that “So far, more than 128,000 people have been displaced since the start of hostilities,” adding that “the pace of displacement increased significantly on July 19, with more than 43,000 people displaced in a single day.”

Calm prevailed in the city of Sweida on Sunday morning, hours after the Jolani government announced a ceasefire, according to two Agence France-Presse correspondents and eyewitnesses, with Druze groups regaining control of the city and Syrian government forces redeploying in the area following a week of sectarian violence that left nearly 1,000 dead.

Late yesterday evening, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba announced on Telegram that “the city of Sweida has been evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city’s neighborhoods have stopped.”

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced earlier on Saturday a ceasefire, his commitment to protect minorities and holding violators from any party accountable, and the start of deploying security forces in Sweida, according to the French Press Agency.