Explosive remnants of war | Eight civilians, mostly children, killed since early December
“Explosive remnants of war” (ERW) in Syria continue to claim the lives of civilians in various provinces. Despite the high number of victims of the explosion of such ordnance, specifically in areas where armed conflicts have occurred. Meanwhile, there are no neither efforts by the regime nor international organizations concerned with the issue of old landmines and unexploded ordinance nor effective campaigns to raise the people’s awareness against the dangers of war ordnance.
According to SOHR statistics, eight Syrians including five children were killed due to explosions of war ordnance, since the beginning of December.
Further circumstances of the deaths were categorized as follows:
On December 3, SOHR activists documented the death of a civilian due to the explosion of an old landmine in Sadd Al-Saib area in the northern countryside of Sallamiyah.
On December 4, SOHR sources documented the death of two children in the explosion of an old landmine in Al-Jalla town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.
On December 6 SOHR activists documented the death of a child due to the explosion of an old landmine in Feylon town in Jabal Al-Zawiyah in the southern countryside of Idlib.
On December 10, SOHR activists reported the death of a child in a land mine explosion expected to part of war ordnances in Merat village in the east countryside of Deir Ezzor province.
On December 11, SOHR activists documented the death of a child in an explosion of old landmine of war in Al-Sinaah neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city.
On December 16, SOHR activists documented the death of a civilian due to the explosion of an old landmine in his tractor near Al-Muwayleh village in Al-Jarniyah district in the western countryside of Al-Raqqah.
On December 16, SOHR activists documented the death of a civilian in landmine remnants of war in Zara village, south of Hama
We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, call on international organizations concerned with the issue of old landmines and unexploded ordnance to work towards the removal of such remnants from Syrian territory, they pose threat to the lives of the people, in addition to launch campaigns to raise the people’s awareness against the dangers of war ordnance.