On October 5, 2023, an explosion whose source we have not been able to identify at the Syrian regime’s Military College in Homs governorate caused a massacre in which dozens were killed and injured. The explosion took place during a graduation ceremony where hundreds of graduating students and their families were in attendance. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the death of 39 civilians, including three children and 21 women, in addition to 28 military servicemen of different ranks. This remains, however, a non-final toll.
The area is under the control of Syrian regime forces. SNHR is still trying to locate eyewitnesses and survivors to obtain more information about the incident.
We condemn all bombings that target civilians and cause senseless indiscriminate deaths. We call on Syrian regime forces, the governing body in the area, to uphold its responsibility for protecting civilians in its areas, to launch an investigation into the incident, and to make the findings of this investigation known to the public. Syria will be unable to achieve stability without a genuine political transition towards democracy based on a concrete timeline.
