On Saturday, July 12, 2025, 14-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Hamido Al-Alou, from the village of Al-Jat, north of Manbij in the eastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate, was killed by a landmine explosion in the vicinity of his village.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights from local sources, a landmine exploded while the child was harvesting capers near the village of Al-Jat in the Manbij countryside in the eastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate. 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 mine explosion that killed Mohammed Al-Alou, while they were carrying out a peaceful civilian activity (collecting crops), is an example of the continuing threat posed by the effects of conflict to civilians.
- The continued presence of landmines in populated areas or close to civilian activity, without removing them or warning the population of their presence, 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 the 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 enshrined in international humanitarian law.
- The inability to identify who laid 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 bodily integrity.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights’ recommendations:
- Open 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 landmine clearance operations, especially in agricultural and pastoral areas close to population centers, in cooperation with international organizations such as 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, particularly those under the effective control of forces on the ground.
- Implement 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.
- Provide direct support to the families of victims through urgent financial compensation, psychosocial support, and inclusion in programs to assist victims of remnants of war.
