UN Syria commission says violence at four-year high
The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry warned that the country is facing levels of violence not seen since 2020, according to AP.
In a March 11th report, the organization claimed that parties to the Syrian conflict have attacked civilians and infrastructure across multiple fronts, in ways that likely amount to war crimes.
Chair of the commission, Paulo Pinheiro, said that “since October, Syria has seen the largest escalation in fighting in four years. With the region in turmoil, a determined international effort to contain the fighting on Syrian soil is imperative. Syria, too, desperately needs a ceasefire.”
He added that “more than 90% [of civilians] now live in poverty, the economy is in freefal amid tightening sanctions, and increased lawlessness is fueling predatory practices and extortion” by different groups.
The upsurge in fighting in Syria began of October 5th, 2023, when explosions at a military academy graduation ceremony, in the regime-controlled city of Homs killed at least 110 people, and injured scores. The military claimed that the attack was carried out using “explosive-laden drones,” according to AFP.
Syrian regime and Russian forces responded with bombardments on over 2,300 sites in opposition-held areas over just three weeks, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians.
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The UN report stated that the ongoing and “indiscriminate attacks, which may amount to war crimes, hit well-known and visible hospitals, schools, markets, and camps for internally displaced persons.”
Since the outset of Israel’s war in Gaza on October 7th, tensions have risen between occupying foreign armies in Syria, most notably between allies the US and Israel, and Iran, driving concerns of a wider regional conflict being ignited.
Israel have purportedly struck Iran-linked sites and forces at least 35 times, as-well-as both Aleppo and Damascus airports, temporarily halting the import of vital UN humanitarian aid. Pro-Iranian groups have also allegedly carried out over 100 attacks US bases in north-east Syria, to which US forces responded with airstrikes.
In northeast Syria, Turkish forces too increased operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in retaliation for an October 2023 attack in Ankara, which was claimed by the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK).
Turkish airstrikes on Syrian power plants deprived nearly a million people of water and electricity for weeks, in violation of international humanitarian law. Civilians were also killed directly by the strikes.
Five years after the fall of Baghuz, when Islamic State (IS) lost its Syrian stronghold, “almost 30,000 children are still held in internment camps, prisons or rehabilitation centres in northeast Syria,” according to UN Commissioner Lynn Welchman.
“These children were already victimized during ISISs rule, only to be subjected to years of continued human rights violations and abuses,” Welchman added.
The UN Syria Commission claimed that living conditions in al-Hawl and ar-Roj refugee camps amount it cruel and inhuman treatment and disgraces to personal dignity.
“No child should ever be punished for their parents’ actions or beliefs,” Welchman said.
She added: “We urge all States to immediately allow all children, including Syrian children, to return home from the camps and take measures to ensure their reintegration into society and accountability for the crimes they have suffered.”
16.7 million people inside Syria now require humanitarian assistance, according to the UN report, the highest figure since the beginning of the Syrian conflict.
A severe drop in donor funds has forced the UN to suspend regular food aid for Syria, exacerbating widespread hunger. Aid deliveries are also hampered by haphazard decision making by Syria’s regime, and by international sanctions.
AP / AFP
