One day after an explosive killed a group of children in Syria's Daraa region, at least 20 people were murdered in skirmishes, according to a rights monitor.
The 2018 ceasefire agreement, supported by Russia, restored government authority over Daraa, which served as the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.
Since then, instability has afflicted the southern province.
Ahmed al-Labbad, who "leads an armed group," was allegedly accused by a rival group of laying an explosive device that killed eight children on Saturday in the city of Sanamayn, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
The British watchdog said that Labbad, a former employee of a governmental security service, denied any participation.
Clashes broke out on Sunday after a competing armed group commanded by a person who was once a member of the Islamic State (IS) but is now "affiliated with military intelligence" invaded Sanamayn, according to the monitor.
It also said that the Labbad family's homes were set on fire by the assailants, who also killed the occupants.
The observatory said that 14 of Labbad's warriors and three members of his family were among the 20 killed.
The fighting was not immediately reported by Syrian official media.
The town's explosion on Saturday claimed the lives of seven youngsters, according to authorities, who were attributed to "terrorists" by the official SANA news agency.
Daraa is routinely the scene of assaults, gunfights, and killings, some of which are claimed by IS.
The observatory reported in January that fighting with local organisations had resulted in the deaths of a local leader and seven militia members connected to IS.
Since the Syrian civil conflict broke out in 2011, more than 500,000 people have perished in it. Millions have lost their homes.
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