People are being evacuated from Aleppo, Syria, amid escalating fighting. Syria: New clashes and ISIS prison escapes threaten the safety of civilians Peace and Security
The UN continues to closely monitor developments in northeast Syria following clashes between government forces and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) coalition, during which dozens of ISIS fighters are reported to have escaped from prison.
Secretary-General António Guterres is watching the ongoing violence with “great concern,” Deputy Spokesperson for UN Chief Farhan told a briefing in New York on Tuesday Hack.
The Secretary General called on the parties to fully comply with international law and ensure the protection of civilians, emphasizing the need for reliable protection of places of detention. agreements.
The situation of civilians
The UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed “concern over reports of renewed fighting between the Syrian army and the SDF, despite the agreement on ceasefire of January 18,” OHCHR representative Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
Rolando Gomez, a spokesman for the UN Information Service in Geneva, described the overall situation as “alarming, especially given the damage to critical infrastructure.” He expressed concern about the situation of families unable to leave war zones, as well as those who have been forced to flee their homes in recent days.
Fragile transition period
Syria remains on an extremely fragile path of political transition after the fall of the Bashar regime Assad in December 2024 and almost 14 years of civil war.
The transitional government is regaining control of areas in the northeast of the country previously under the control of Kurdish forces. Fighting has been recorded in the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Al-Hasakah.
Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, told reporters in New York that the government and the SDF have reached a “common understanding” on a number of issues regarding the future of Al-Hasakah province.
According to him, the SDF was given “a four-day period to conduct internal consultations and prepare a detailed plan for practical mechanisms for integrating the region.” Syrian troops, he noted, will not enter the cities of Al-Hasakah and Al-Qamishli and will remain on their outskirts until the plan is finalized.
Camps and prisons
In northeastern Syria there are several prisons that house thousands of ISIS (Daesh) militants. Previously, this terrorist group controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, committing mass executions, rape, forced recruitment and other serious crimes.
Tens of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, suspected of links to militants, are being held in separate camps, including the notorious Al-Hol camp, home to more than 30 thousand people. January 18 was reached after weeks of fierce fighting. It provides for the transfer to the authorities of control over areas under the control of the SDF, and the integration of SDF forces into the national army.
However, the very next day after the announcement of the truce, hostilities resumed. According to media reports, about 120 ISIS fighters escaped from a prison in the city of Al-Shaddadi, although most of them were subsequently detained.
Shamdasani recalled that OHCHR has repeatedly emphasized that any integration of armed forces, including SDF, into Syrian government structures must be carried out within the framework of an appropriate human rights vetting process to ensure that persons involved in violations or abuses are not included in these structures.”
Humanitarian assistance
Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations continue to provide assistance in the four affected provinces, including emergency medical psychosocial services, as well support in the field of water supply and sanitation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. services, and key transport routes were temporarily closed, depriving civilians of access to health and education services. In Raqqa, as a result of damage to critical infrastructure, movement between areas of the city has been limited and the main water supply system has been disrupted.
According to OCHA, people continue to leave the cities of Raqqa and Tabqa, as well as the village Tavrv, heading towards El-Hasakah and El-Qamishli. However, hundreds of families remain unable to leave Tabqa and are sheltering in public buildings.
A needs assessment of the population is currently underway, while humanitarian organizations continue to call for sustainable and safe access to those affected.