At least 37 people have been killed in violent clashes between Bedouin Sunni tribes and the Druze community in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The fighting, which also left around 50 wounded, marks the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in the restive region.

The Britain-based war monitor reported that 27 of the dead were Druze, including two children, while 10 were Bedouin. The clashes are the first major flare-up since April and May, when Druze fighters clashed with Syrian security forces, leaving dozens dead.

The latest violence followed a series of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on the Sweida-Damascus highway on Friday, according to Reuters. Witnesses say tensions have been rising between the two communities, fueled by long-standing disputes and a security vacuum in the region.

Syrian state media (SANA) confirmed that security forces have been deployed to the area. In a statement Monday, the Interior Ministry said it was working with the Defense Ministry to begin a "direct intervention" to "resolve the conflict, stop the clashes, and impose security."

The ministry blamed the escalation on the "absence of relevant official institutions," which has worsened the "state of chaos and deterioration of the security situation." It also criticized the "inability of the local community to contain the crisis despite repeated calls for calm."

The unrest has disrupted daily life in Sweida, forcing authorities to postpone secondary school exams scheduled for Monday. The Damascus-Sweida highway, a key supply route, has also been closed due to the violence.

Sweida, home to Syria’s Druze minority, has seen sporadic sectarian violence between Bedouin and Druze factions for years. The Druze, a close-knit religious community, make up a significant portion of the province’s population, which was around 700,000 before Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

Since the overthrow of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad by Islamist-led rebels in December last year, the new government has struggled to maintain stability in the ethnically and religiously fragmented country. Minority groups, including the Druze and Alawites—the sect to which Assad belonged—have expressed concerns over their security and political representation in the post-Assad era.

In April and May, deadly clashes between Druze militants and government forces were only resolved after local and religious leaders negotiated a deal to integrate Druze fighters into the new security apparatus.

Fears of further sectarian strife grew in March after hundreds of Alawites were killed in what appeared to be retaliatory attacks by opponents of the former regime.