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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Monday appointed Druze media figure and civil society activist Moznah Alatrach as an advisor for peace affairs, months after a delegation from the southern province of Suwayda, of which she was a member, called for the right to self-determination for the province’s residents following deadly violence involving Druze fighters, Bedouin tribes and government forces.
The appointment was announced by state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), which highlighted Alatrach’s background in humanitarian work, media and civil society. The announcement did not specify her responsibilities or explain the motive behind the selection.
Alatrach, born in Suwayda in 1987, is a member of Syria’s Druze community and the daughter of actor and theater director Mamdouh Al Atrash. According to SANA, she chairs the Al-Muzn Organization for Development, Awareness and Giving and is a member of the UN-affiliated Syrian Women’s Advisory Board. She has also worked with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent on humanitarian response and international humanitarian law.
Her appointment comes amid unresolved tensions between Damascus and the Druze militants in Suwayda, where fighting erupted between Druze groups and Arab Bedouin tribes in July 2025 before escalating with the involvement of Syrian government forces siding with the tribes. The violence left hundreds of civilians dead and displaced tens of thousands. Human Rights Watch has documented serious abuses by government forces and local Druze and Bedouin armed groups, calling for accountability across all sides.
In December 2025, Alatrach was among civil society representatives from Suwayda who met a visiting delegation of UN Security Council members in Damascus to present concerns about the province.
Speaking to Lebanese outlet Al-Modon following the meeting, she said the delegation had submitted a document demanding the withdrawal of government forces from villages in Suwayda, compensation for victims, the release of abducted civilians, information about missing people and unrestricted access for humanitarian assistance and international media.
She said the document also included the right to self-determination for Suwayda’s residents, citing the injustices and violations suffered by the province during the violence.
However, Alatrach stressed that the delegation had attended in a personal capacity and did not represent the province’s religious authorities or its influential Druze spiritual leader, Hikmat al-Hajri.
“We are facing a genuine political impasse,” she told Al-Modon, describing the breakdown in relations between Damascus and Suwayda.
Alatrach also criticized sectarian rhetoric surrounding the conflict, stressing Suwayda’s history of coexistence among Druze, Bedouin and Christian communities. She accused some parties of deliberately inflaming sectarian divisions and urged an end to rhetoric that could fuel further bloodshed.
In an August 2025 statement, Alatrach identified herself as a daughter of Syria and of the Druze community, asserting that the people of the community alone had the right to determine their future.
She identified herself as originating from the "renowned patriotic Syrian Alatrach family,” saying she was the grandchild of prominent Syrian national liberation leader Sultan Pasha al-Atrash.
She rejected allegations that she was involved in “political arrangements” concerning Syria’s parliament, insisting that her contacts with diplomatic missions and humanitarian organizations were intended to defend the “rights, dignity and civil peace” of Suwayda’s population.
Alatrach also emphasized her commitment to “national unity and peaceful coexistence,” invoking the principle that religion belongs to God and the homeland belongs to everyone.
Her public role has nevertheless been criticized within Suwayda. Following the December meeting with Security Council representatives, a statement attributed to local social figures in the province rejected suggestions that she represented its residents, insisting that she spoke only for herself. Alatrach had separately stated that her participation in the meeting was personal and did not constitute political representation.
Alatrach has worked in Syrian and Arab media for nearly two decades and holds qualifications in theater criticism, cinematic studies and journalism.
Her background in humanitarian work, her engagement with international diplomats and her connections to Suwayda could be possible explanations for the appointment, particularly as Damascus seeks to address the province’s divisions. However, Syrian authorities have not said whether she will be involved in negotiations with Druze representatives or outlined any specific role for her in resolving the crisis.
