There could hardly have been worse circumstances for the release, on Tuesday, July 22, of the findings by the national commission set up to shed light on the massacres carried out against the Alawite minority in March in Syria. Renewed killings between Bedouin clans, Druze factions and government forces in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida since July 13 − which have left over 1,000 dead − have further darkened the fragile hopes that were brought by the downfall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and by the end of 14 years of civil war.

The efforts at transparency of transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa − who broke with the practices of the al-Assad dictatorship by appointing an independent commission on March 9 to investigate the violence against the Alawites − were welcomed by Syrian and international organizations and NGOs. However, after reading the inquiry's report, these groups have lamented that the national commission has absolved Syrian military leaders of any responsibility; this major shortcoming could risk perpetuating a cycle of impunity and vengeance within Syria.

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