The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that it has recorded at least 369 violations of the Sochi Agreement by the Assad regime forces since the agreement was announced on September 17 until December 23.
In a report published on Monday about the violations of the Sochi agreement in the fourth and the last remaining ‘de-escalation zone’ agreement, the Network said that the majority of violations took place in the demilitarized zone which was established under the agreement.
The Network’s report listed 145 violations in Idlib province, 22 in Aleppo, and 202 in Hama. The violations led to the deaths of 45 civilians, including 22 children and 6 women, the Network added.
According to the report, 110 civilians were killed as a result of the military escalation by the Assad regime and Russian forces in the de-escalation zone in Idlib province in the period between 10 August and September 17. The victims included 35 children and 14 women, it said.
The report indicated that the Assad regime and Russian forces committed two massacres and launched 16 attacks on vital civilian centers, including five medical centers in the same period. The Assad regime’s air force rained at least 155 barrels of bombs on the fourth de-escalation zone with the military escalation forcing more than 48,000 from their homes.
The monitoring group pointed out that at least 1,856 civilians were killed, including 476 children and 313 women in the period between May 6, 2017 when the de-escalation zone agreement took effect and September 17, 2018. It noted that the Assad regime and its Russian ally repeatedly violated the agreement in the fourth de-escalation zone, which is located mainly in Idlib province and parts of the adjacent provinces.
The report indicated that in the same period, the Assad regime and Russian forces committed no fewer than 53 massacres and targeted 346 vital civilian centers, including 77 schools and 57 healthcare facilities. The Assad regime’s air force dropped at least 1,167 barrel bombs on the area in the same period.
The Network called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution to consolidate the ceasefire in Idlib, including the taking of punitive measures against violators of the cease-fire. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
