On Saturday, May 10, 2025, Mustafa Abdul Karim al-Ashqar, a child from the village of Deir al-Sharqi in the eastern suburbs of Idlib Governorate, was killed by a landmine explosion in the village. It should be noted that the area was under the control of the transitional government at the time of the incident.
This area is among the sites that have witnessed changes in control between the parties to the conflict, making determining who planted the mine extremely complex.
Legal Conclusions
The landmine explosion that killed child Mustafa al-Ashqar while he was carrying out a peaceful civilian activity is an example of how the effects of conflict continue to threaten the lives of civilians.
The continued presence of landmines in populated areas or close to civilian activity, without their removal or warning to the population of their presence, constitutes a violation of positive protection obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular Article 10 of the Amended Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) on Mines, Booby-Traps and Improvised Explosive Devices.
The failure of controlling parties to provide mine maps or place clear warning signs exposes civilians to death or injury and constitutes a violation of the principle of the duty to warn and inform stipulated in international humanitarian law.
The inability to identify the party that planted the mine raises the issue of evading responsibility, which requires an independent investigation and underscores the need for comprehensive documentation of war remnants and contamination sites to avoid recurring incidents.
The continued presence of mines in civilian areas is a threat to the right to life and physical integrity.
Recommendations by SNHR
- Open an urgent investigation into the incident, to determine which party to the conflict planted mines in the area and hold the responsible party legally responsible for negligence or deliberate action.
- Accelerating land clearance operations, especially in agricultural and pastoral areas close to population centers, in cooperation with international organizations such as the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), the Syrian Red Crescent, and the Syrian Civil Defense.
- Prepare comprehensive and up-to-date maps of mines and remnants of war, and disseminate them at the local level, with clear warning signs in all suspected areas, especially those under the effective control of forces on the ground.
- Implementing comprehensive local awareness campaigns targeting residents of rural areas and camps, on the dangers of mines and ways to identify and avoid them, in cooperation with civil society organizations.
- Providing direct support to victims’ families through urgent financial compensation, providing psychological and social support, and including them in assistance programs for victims of war remnants.
