A 10-year-old boy, identified as Moatesm Sayyad al-Stouf from al-Hzaouna neighborhood in southern Manbij city in the eastern suburbs of Aleppo governorate, died on July 14, 2023, when he fell into a six-meter-deep tunnel dug for military purposes by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the city’s mills, and left exposed. Moatesm had been missing for three days at the time of his death.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that the SDF digs tunnels in residential neighborhoods and in the vicinity of Manbij city, without concealing them or taking the necessary measures to prevent civilians from falling into them.
The area is under the SDF’s control. Through this act of negligence leading to a child’s death, the SDF has violated international human rights law. The perpetrators must be held accountable.
