In October 2020, the Immigration Service of the Ministry of Immigration and Integration of the Danish government issued a report on the security, economic and social situation in the governorates of Damascus Suburbs and Damascus in Syria.
The report relies on several human rights sources , most notably, in order of the number of quotes included:
Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR): 63
European Asylum Support Office (EASO): 42
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED): 24
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): 5
The report focuses on the security situation, freedom of movement, and the socio-economic situation in the governorates of Damascus and Damascus Suburbs in the recent period. The aim of the report is to collect updated information on recurring challenges that have been identified in cases related to Syrian asylum seekers. The report stresses the need to pay attention to the changeable and unstable situation in Syria and the fact that the information provided may quickly become outdated, and also stresses that the issues addressed in the report should be monitored periodically and the information be brought up to date accordingly.
The security situation in the governorates of Damascus and Damascus Suburbs:
The report notes that the security services’ control over former-opposition controlled areas in Damascus and Rural Damascus is firm, and these areas are more secure than other areas in the south such as Daraa. The report also notes that targeted killings and assassinations of military and security service officers increased in these areas during 2020, as well as kidnappings for ransom. In addition, the Israeli airstrikes against the positions of the Syrian government and Iran-backed forces continued during the year.
In the period from January 1 to September 12, 2020, the report notes that 144 security incidents (battles, explosions/remote violence, and violence against civilians) were recorded, of which 79 were against civilians. These were distributed according to the governorates as follows:
Damascus governorate: 14 incidents caused the deaths of 14 civilians.