On April 16, 2023, the bodies of 14 civilians, including a woman, were found by local residents in the Dwezien area in the eastern suburbs of Hama. The civilians had been killed by gunmen we have not been able to identify while they were collecting desert truffles.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) stresses that there has been many incidents of killing of civilians who are collecting desert truffles in the badiya ‘desert’ in the eastern suburbs of Hama and Homs. Gathering and selling these truffles provides a livelihood for many residents in this area. However, Syrian regime forces and Iranian pro-regime militias have been enforcing a monopoly over the sale of desert truffles, leading to disputes among them in these areas which also have an ISIS presence.
The area is under the control of Syrian regime forces. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident.
We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in their areas and to investigate this incident and make the findings of the investigation known to the public. Syria will never have true stability without a genuine political transition process towards democracy within a fixed timetable.
