In a tragic escalation of the ongoing conflict in Syria, government forces attacked the rebel-held village of Qaqfin, located in northwestern Idlib, resulting in the death of ten civilians. This report comes from Syria’s opposition government, drawing further scrutiny towards alleged human rights violations by Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and his administration. Details about the incident emerged on Saturday, when it was also revealed that many of the victims were women and children.
In the wake of this distressing incident, the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) has been actively drawing attention to Assad’s government’s actions. In response to the attack, the opposition has conveyed its appeal to the UN Security Council, demanding an unequivocal condemnation of the actions as war crimes, and pressing for more decisive actions to stop the Bashar regime.
Within the international community, there are rising demands for a strict adherence to the Astana process, founded under the UN Security Council Resolution 2254. This resolution, passed in 2015, seeks to safeguard civilian lives and protect public infrastructure by discouraging acts of hostility and advocating for an immediate ceasefire in Syria.
Yet, the conflict remains far from resolution. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has marked at least 404 operations in Syria’s “de-escalation zone” since the start of this year, which have led to the death of 202 civilians and 257 combatants. Since the conflict took hold in March 2011, there have been an estimated 6.8 million internally displaced people in Syria, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
In addition to these alarming statistics, international actions against Assad’s regime are emerging. On November 15, France initiated the process of issuing arrest warrants for Assad and several high-ranking military officials for their involvement in two chemical weapons attacks in August 2013. Moreover, on November 16, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered an interim order, directing Assad’s government to halt the torture of its citizens.
The original article, with more information about the current situation in Syria, can be found here.