ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Civilians are once again caught in the crossfire in Aleppo. Hundreds of men have reportedly disappeared after they fled rebel-held eastern Aleppo and entered regime-held territory in the city, the UN stated. The UN has also received reports that rebel groups in the city had abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who wanted to leave their neighbourhoods, which are under heavy bombardment.
“We have received very worrying allegations that hundreds of men have gone missing after crossing into government-controlled areas,” UN human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville said in a news briefing in Geneva on Friday.
The men, largely aged between 30 and 50, had not been in contact with their families since they fled eastern Aleppo more than a week ago, Colville detailed, cautioning that it was unknown if the men were civilians or armed rebels.
He warned that advancing pro-government forces had allegedly carried out “reprisals” against perceived supporters of the rebels.
“Given the terrible record of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances, we are of course deeply concerned about the fate of these individuals,” he said. “One has to ring some alarm bells.”
If the reports are true, this could amount to a war crime, Colville added.
Syria’s state-run SANA news reported that the army was establishing safe corridors for civilians trying to flee the fighting and that people were happy to reach safe zones where they army had supplies for them.
The former Nusra Front, now renamed as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, and the Abu Amara Battalion, two rebel militias in eastern Aleppo allegedly abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who wanted to flee the fighting, according to reports received by the UN, Colville said.
On Thursday evening, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Damascus was suspending military operations in order to evacuate civilians.
“I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation under way to evacuate civilians,” he said after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Germany.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy bombardment of eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods on Friday.
“We have received very worrying allegations that hundreds of men have gone missing after crossing into government-controlled areas,” UN human rights spokesperson Rupert Colville said in a news briefing in Geneva on Friday.
The men, largely aged between 30 and 50, had not been in contact with their families since they fled eastern Aleppo more than a week ago, Colville detailed, cautioning that it was unknown if the men were civilians or armed rebels.
He warned that advancing pro-government forces had allegedly carried out “reprisals” against perceived supporters of the rebels.
“Given the terrible record of arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearances, we are of course deeply concerned about the fate of these individuals,” he said. “One has to ring some alarm bells.”
If the reports are true, this could amount to a war crime, Colville added.
Syria’s state-run SANA news reported that the army was establishing safe corridors for civilians trying to flee the fighting and that people were happy to reach safe zones where they army had supplies for them.
The former Nusra Front, now renamed as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, and the Abu Amara Battalion, two rebel militias in eastern Aleppo allegedly abducted and killed an unknown number of civilians who wanted to flee the fighting, according to reports received by the UN, Colville said.
On Thursday evening, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Damascus was suspending military operations in order to evacuate civilians.
“I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation under way to evacuate civilians,” he said after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Germany.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy bombardment of eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods on Friday.
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