No less than 331 individuals, including 107 children and one fetus, have been killed due to these breaches alone
SNHR has published its eighth report, on the breaches of Ankara Ceasefire Agreement, in which the Network documents the breaches that were recorded in the two months following the Agreement going into effect. SNHR notes that 331 individuals were killed – 325 civilians, including 107 children, one fetus, and 56 women (Adult female) in addition to six opposition fighters. Most of the victims were killed at the hands of the Syrian regime forces between December 30, 2016 and February 28, 2017
The report notes that killing, destruction, and displacement are now at the same levels they were prior to Ankara Ceasefire Agreement in Syria. We have been stressing since the first cessation of hostilities statement in February 2016 that the ceasefire won’t hold for more than a few days as long as there are no harsh consequences enforced on the violators of the cessation of hostilities. According to SNHR’s team who is working daily on monitoring and recording the breaches, the main party behind the breaches is the Syrian regime and the pro-regime Iranian militias who have been responsible for approximately 70% of the breaches.
Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, says: “People in the Syrian society don’t care for the negotiations and talking about it. The main reason for that is the fact that there haven’t been any reflections on the ground with regard to the ceasefire. All efforts have failed so far to apply pressure on the party that is mainly responsible for the human and materials losses which is the Syrian regime, simply because they weren’t real, serious efforts.”
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 the most notable breaches committed by the parties that are bound by the truce agreement (Syrian regime 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 “Formerly al Nussra Front”). The report doesn’t include any combat operations in ISIS-held areas.
The report monitors 533 breaches – 456 through combat operations and 77 through arrest operations. 447 breaches were by the Syrian regime forces, where Hama governorate has seen most of these breaches since the Agreement went into force with 123 breaches, followed by Damascus suburbs with 77 breaches, and Idlib with 73 breaches. Also, the report records 59 breaches in Aleppo, 53 in Homs, 35 in Daraa, 15 breaches in Damascus, five in al Hasaka, three in Deir Ez-Zour, three in Latakia, and one breach in Tartus. Furthermore, the report records 60 breaches at the hands of Russian forces including 40 in Idlib. Additionally, 16 breaches were recorded in Aleppo, three in Hama, and one in Daraa.
In addition, the report documents 15 breaches committed by armed opposition factions in Aleppo and Hama governorates. Moreover, the report documents 11 breaches the perpetrators of which haven’t been identified, Syrian regime or Russian regime, including eight in Daraa, in addition to two in Damascus and one in Hama.
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 aims 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 to 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.
Lastly, the report calls on the Turkish government, seeing that it is the other party sponsoring the Agreement, to follow-up with the breaches committed by armed opposition factions, and insure that they won’t reoccur in order to preserve the success of the truce.