Dozens killed in clashes between Druze and Bedouin in southern Syria

 

Syria's interior ministry said security forces were deployed to try to restore calm

 Dozens of people have been killed in armed clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in southern Syria, according to local media reports.

 Two days after a Druze merchant was reportedly kidnapped on the highway to Damascus, the violence broke out on Sunday in the city with a majority of Druze residents in the province of Suweida. The interior ministry said security forces had been deployed to restore calm but fighting continued in western parts of the province on Monday.

 It is the latest outbreak of deadly sectarian violence in the country since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December.

 Syria's many minority communities - including the Druze, whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs - have expressed concerns over the new authorities' pledges to protect them.

 It is unclear how many people have died in this latest fighting. Local activist-run news outlet Suwayda 24 reported "dozens" of people had died in the fighting, and over 200 had been wounded.

 The country's interior ministry earlier reported that at least 30 people had been killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) - a UK-based monitoring group - also reported dozens of deaths - including children, Bedouin and members of Syria's defence forces.