A US-mediated prisoner swap agreement, negotiated behind the scenes beginning earlier this year, saw interim authorities and Druze factions release approximately 90 detainees last week. Prisoner exchanges were overseen by the International Red Cross Committee on 26th February. Open-source reporting indicates that interim authorities are still holding Druze citizens in Adra Central Prison who were not included in the prisoner swap. The file of missing persons adds another dimension to ongoing talks and could serve as a sticking-point for further progress related to detainees or broader political issues.
The timing of the recent prisoner exchange agreement is no accident, coming just weeks after the apparent dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through a combination of military force and phased integration by negotiation. The SDF’s stand-off with Damascus served as a continued reference for Sheikh Hikmat al-Hirji and his federalist ambitions in Suwayda. With the north-east file seemingly resolved, the prisoner swap in Suwayda therefore reflects a reinvigorated push from interim authorities—and the US—for progress in more substantive negotiations in Suwayda.
Background
While tit-for-tat kidnappings were initially presented as its motivation, the interim government’s July 2025 attack on Suwayda—waged first by interim security forces before Bedouin militias spearheaded a second-wave offensive—saw dozens of prisoners of war and civilians captured by warring parties during ground clashes, assaults on residential areas and sweeping operations. While captured interim security forces personnel were held by the National Guard, the Druze factional umbrella affiliated with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and his inner circle, Druze detainees—including large numbers of civilians kidnapped by pro-government forces and Bedouin militias—were reportedly being held in Adra Central Prison.
Before the recent prisoner swap, authorities had been holding 140 Druze citizens in Adra Central Prison, according to an anonymous security source cited by Reuters—although 36 were released in October. One former detainee released in October said they were released with no record of their arrest or detention; instead, they were given one million Syrian pounds and a new mobile phone. Suwayda’s governor, Mustafa al-Bakour, previously claimed these detainees were being held in “precautionary detention” without charge, however it appears that at least some of these detentions were protracted and arbitrary; there is also no evidence of due process being applied. Detainees included individuals allegedly transferred to Damascus by the White Helmets and others apprehended by Bedouin militias during hostilities—trends that point to interim authorities using state facilities for kidnapping by non-state (but state-backed/facilitiated) armed groups. Historically, Adra was a state prison used by the former regime to detain both criminal prisoners and political detainees, usually after they had been processed through security branches and the emergency courts system—and survived.
Approximately two months ago, interim authorities and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri’s office opened behind-the-scenes negotiations, mediated by the US, specifically on the topic of detainees and missing persons.
Prisoner Exchange
News of the prisoner exchange became public last week, at the end of February. AFP quoted an anonymous source as saying: “There are currently negotiations, mediated by the United States, between Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and the Damascus government on a single issue: the detainees and prisoners.” The following day, the state-affiliated Suwayda Media Directorate released a statement clarifying “it has been decided to commence a process of exchanging detainees following the events of July last year.”
Both sides conducted simultaneous, mutual exchanges of prisoners in their custody, who were handed over at a checkpoint in northern rural Suwayda. As part of the exchange, Suwayda’s National Guard handed over at least 22 local members of the interim Ministries of Defense and Interior. (Media outlets, including Enab Baladi, stated the National Guard released 30 detainees.) Interim authorities released 61 detainees from Suwayda who had been held at Adra Central Prison to the north-east of Damascus.
Open-source reports indicate there may still be Suwayda detainees held in Adra Prison. Suwayda’s National Guard, meanwhile, holds approximately 10 detainees from the pro-government side—including two foreigners arrested during the July 2025 hostilities—whose release is said to be conditional on interim authorities revealing the fate of several missing persons from Suwayda. A Druze security source cited by Reuters stated that five of these detainees were officers from the interim Ministry of Defense.
