The Warring Parties Must Spare Civilians and End Indiscriminate Attacks
The Hague – The Syrian Network for Human Rights:
Since Tuesday, August 6, 2024, the villages and towns located along the two banks of the Euphrates River in eastern rural Deir Ez-Zour governorate have been witnessing military escalation and tit-for-tat attacks between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Arab tribal forces who are backed by Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias. The escalated hostilities were triggered by a large-scale attack by Arab tribes originating from regime-held areas which targeted SDF military outposts. Since then, the situation has devolved into reciprocal bombardment by the two parties which has seen the use of heavy weapons (heavy artillery, rocket launchers, and heavy machine guns).
From August 6, 2024, up until August 13, 2024, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented the killing of at least 17 civilians, including eight children and six women, and the injury of at least 34 others, in the indiscriminate attacks, which have involved the use of heavy weapons and gunfire during the clashes that took place in areas under the control of the two parties. Ground attacks by regime forces have resulted in two massacres, in which 11 civilians, including six children and four women, were killed in the SDF-held town of al-Dahla, with another woman killed in the Abu Hamam town, which is also controlled by the SDF. Meanwhile, similar attacks carried out by the SDF on the town of al-Boulayl in a regime-controlled area killed one woman and a girl. Three other civilians, including a child, were also killed during the armed clashes between the two sides, which saw the use of small arms and artillery shells, with the specific party from the two warring parties responsible for these three killings not yet accurately identified.
Adding to the suffering, the escalated hostilities have pushed hundreds of civilians living in the affected areas, both those controlled by regime forces and by the SDF, to flee. Large displacement movements have been seen in the SDF-held villages and town of Theyban, al-Keshkiya, Abu Hamam, al-Bseira, al-Zer, al-Sabha, al-Dahla, and Jedid Bakkara, due to these areas being targeted in artillery attacks by regime forces, in addition to clashes taking place nearby. On the other side, the regime-held towns of al-Boulayl, al-Toub, Buqrus, al-Dwair, and al-Kashma have also seen displacement waves due to being targeted with mortar shells by the SDF stationed across the Euphrates River from these towns. On both sides, the largest proportions of displaced people came from the areas close to the banks of the Euphrates River.
Furthermore, civilians’ houses and other properties have been destroyed as a result of the hostilities, while civilian service facilities have also been damaged amid the clashes and bombardment, especially water pumping stations, some of which were repurposed as military outposts by the warring parties. Given the searing summer heat and the dangers posed by the continuing hostilities and bombardment, this means civilians have faced further severe difficulties in safely securing drinking water, with approximately 100,000 local residents at risk of losing access to drinking water due to many water stations having been put out of commission.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) must stress that the two warring parties have unequivocally violated many rules of customary international law, particularly through failing to distinguish between civilians and combatants, which has spread mass fear and panic among civilians, driving them into forced displacement.
We call on the warring parties to immediately end their escalation and indiscriminate attacks. The two sides must take the necessary steps to protect the essential civilian infrastructure, especially water-pumping stations. Those facilities must be disarmed, and they must be recommissioned to ensure access to clean water for all. As soon as the situation has calmed down, conditions must be realized to ensure a safe and voluntary return for civilians displaced from their homes, which involves removing unexploded residual ammunition, and repairing damaged residences.
