No less than 100 Breaches since the Agreement Went into Effect, and Russian Forces Target Two Schools in Aleppo
SNHR has published the report: “23 Breaches on the Fourth Day of Ankara Ceasefire Agreement” which documents the breaches that were recorded during the first four days following the commencement of the agreement. The report notes that Russian forces targeted two schools in Aleppo.
The report draws upon the monitoring and documentation processes in addition to speaking to survivors, victims’ families, or with eyewitnesses to some of the incidents.
The report sheds light on every breach committed by the parties that are bound by the truce agreement (Government forces, Russian forces, and armed opposition factions) in areas under the control of armed opposition factions and areas under a joint control (armed opposition factions and Fateh Al Sham Front). The report doesn’t include any combat operations in ISIS-held areas.
The report says that on Monday 2 January 2017, armed opposition factions that agreed to the ceasefire agreement released a statement in which they announced that they will suspend any talks regarding the ceasefire agreement in response to the breaches that were committed by the Syrian regime forces and its ally the Iranian regime.
The report monitors 100 breaches; 91 breaches through combat operations and nine through arrest operations. 91 breaches were by the Syrian regime forces where most of these breaches took place in Homs governorate with 25 breaches recorded since the commencement of the agreement, followed by Hama and Daraa with 16 breaches each, and then Damascus suburbs governorate that saw 15 breaches, Aleppo with 11 breaches and lastly Idlib with eight breaches. The report records nine breaches by Russian forces – six in Aleppo, two in Hama, and one in Idlib. According to the report, these attacks resulted in the killing of five individuals including two children and one armed opposition member.
The report stresses that most of the breaches documented up until now were committed by the Syrian regime and its ally on the ground the Iranian regime, which the report considers to be the most affected by any political agreement that aim towards a comprehensive settlement. Furthermore, the report calls on the Russian regime, being a primary sponsor of the agreement, to apply pressure on the Syrian-Iranian regime in order to compel it seriously commit to the agreement’s provisions. Otherwise, the ceasefire will ultimately fail.
Also, the report emphasizes that Russian forces have to adhere to the agreement, and cease bombing civilians because any other breaches by the Russian forces, who should supposedly oversee the implementation of the agreement, will demolish the credibility of any future Russian sponsorship.