On Friday, May 23, 2025, Ahmed Mohammed Al-Awaid, a resident of the village of Al-Zafar Al-Kabir in the eastern suburbs of Idlib Governorate, died of wounds he sustained on Monday, May 19, 2025, when a landmine -left over from the war-exploded in agricultural land on the outskirts of the village.
It should be noted that the area at the time of the incident was under the control of the transitional government.
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 Ahmed Al-Awaid 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, constitutes a violation of positive protection obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly 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 duty to warn and inform stipulated in international humanitarian law.
- The inability to identify the party that planted the mine raises the issue of impunity, which requires an independent investigation and underscores the need for comprehensive documentation of remnants of war and contamination sites to avoid recurring incidents.
- The continued presence of mines in civilian areas constitutes a threat to the right to life and physical integrity.
Recommendations by SNHR
- Launch an urgent investigation into the incident to determine which parties to the conflict planted mines in the area and hold the responsible party legally responsible for negligence or deliberate action.
- Accelerate land mine 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 Arab Red Crescent, and the Syrian Civil Defense.
- Prepare comprehensive and updated maps of mines and remnants of war and disseminate them locally, 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 how to identify and avoid them, in cooperation with civil society organizations.
- Providing direct support to victims’ families through urgent financial compensation, psychological and social support, and inclusion in programs to assist victims of war remnants.
