Excavations and Armed Group’s Pressures Renew Tension in Al-Sumariya

The Al-Sumariya area has witnessed rising tension in recent weeks following the start of excavation works near homes to install what appears to be a metal security fence. This comes amid the presence of an armed group from Moadamiyet Al-Sham –  loyal to the Transitional Goverment – that has imposed itself as a de facto authority and now oversees the neighbourhood’s internal affairs. With no official clarification regarding the excavation works (residents were told they were part of a project to build a wall), coloured markings have appeared on the walls of some houses, raising fears of a new wave of evictions similar to what occurred this past August.

Al-Sumariya lies to the west of Damascus, on the road connecting the capital with Muadamiyet Al-Sham and Darayya. Administratively, it falls under Damascus Governorate and neighbours Mazzeh Military Airport and the surrounding security and military installations. Al-Sumariya was built entirely on land expropriated by the Ministries of Defence and Interior and by Damascus Governorate in the 1950s from the lands of Moadamiyet Al-Sham. On these public properties, military facilities were constructed, such as Air Force Intelligence and Mazzeh Airport. Al-Sumariya took shape in the 1970s with the construction of social housing for non-commissioned officers and members of the Fourth Division, then expanded to include housing for Air Force Intelligence and the Republican Guard. Next to these residences, an informal settlement emerged with around 1,700 homes. Most Al-Sumariya residents were Alawites, whether in the organised military housing or the informal area, which attracted low-income employees and soldiers working in the army or the public sector in Damascus and its countryside.

When the Assad regime fell in December 2024, the Fourth Division and Air Force Intelligence,  both of which were stationed in the area, collapsed, and many soldiers and their families fled their homes fearing retaliation, creating a security vacuum. This vacuum was exploited by an armed group from Moadamiyet Al-Sham loyal to the transitional administration, which entered the neighbourhood and imposed its control. Their entry was accompanied by looting, threats, and sectarian chants.

At the start of 2025, pressures began to escalate as news circulated of orders to evacuate the military housing, prompting many residents to leave in fear. In February, Damascus Governorate confirmed in an official letter that it was responsible for the informal areas in the neighbourhood and that no action could be taken without consulting it, yet it was unable to stop the on-the-ground pressures. In July, the armed group imposed a siege on Al-Sumariya, closing the entrances, restricting residents’ movement, and preventing the entry of food supplies. This was accompanied by arrests and sectarian insults. In late August, Abu Hudhayfa, the leader of the armed group from Moadamiyet Al-Sham, led a large-scale raid with hundreds of fighters. The entire area was sealed off, forces stormed homes, and men, women, and children were beaten and arrested. Dozens were detained in one building where they were forced to sign pledges to evacuate. Over the following days, the majority of residents fled the neighbourhood, leaving behind only those who had nowhere else to go.

The Al-Sumariya Committee, the local body communicating with Damascus Governorate on behalf of the residents, said the governorate informed it that the ongoing works are being carried out by the Military Construction Establishment and that they do not target any homes for demolition. However, the Committee also noted that the route of the metal security fence being built will isolate large areas, turning them into separate islands, and will pass so close to some houses that it will restrict residents’ movement. It will also encircle an entire school and block access for school buses and ambulances.

Alongside the excavation works, residents of Al-Sumariya have recently seen a long white painted line stretching from the main street into the inner alleys, which locals associate with the route of the planned wall. These activities coincide with sabotage to the water lines, while workers on site, whose exact role residents say is unknown, continue to operate.

In parallel, residents have noticed green and white paint markings on several houses, including some in areas not on the declared wall route in the industrial zone. Owners of these marked houses were reportedly told directly that they must evacuate. Locals told The Syria Report that these markings are used to designate homes slated for eviction – the same practice used before last August’s displacement, which also began with similar markings on walls before turning into evacuation orders under pressure.“Last time they started with a marking we ended up on the street,” said a woman from the neighborhood.

With no further official explanations, some residents report that members of Abu Hudhayfa’s armed group are issuing unofficial demands for certain families to leave under the pretext that the wall will pass through their homes. Residents fear that these steps may be the beginning of a new displacement campaign. With official bodies offering only general reassurances and having no real presence on the ground, the area remains under the control of the armed group overseeing the works, while the remaining residents of Al-Sumariya live caught between fear of another raid and the desire to remain in their homes despite the growing daily pressure.

Alongside these developments, masked men have been seen in the alleys of Al-Sumariya, provoking confrontations with women and young men, residents said. According to them, a resident being found in possession of an alcoholic beverage is enough for them to be detained for a month by the General Security forces, accompanied by beatings and sectarian insults. Residents believe these practices are not isolated incidents, but part of daily pressures reinforcing the sense that the de facto authorities are using the same intimidation tactics that preceded last August’s events.