SYRIA: AT LEAST FOUR CHILDREN KILLED IN INTENSE SHELLING ACROSS IDLIB

School run by partner of Save the Children hit

Toronto, ON – Nov. 4, 2020: Save the Children is saddened by the deaths of four children who died during intense shelling in the Syrian province of Idlib this morning. Two staff members of a partner organization were also killed during the attacks.

One girl, aged four, died on her way to school in the town of Ariha, south of Idlib. Two more children were killed in Kafraya, and a fourth, a 10-year-old boy, in the city of Idlib. Dozens of other people were wounded.

A primary school in Kafraya, run by a partner of Save the Children, was hit with shelling and shrapnel while around 150 children were in their classrooms. Although no one at the school was hurt in the incident, a student of the school and his brother were killed at home.

A teacher at the school said:

“The school was hit… Shelling struck one of the school walls. Another projectile fell a metre or two away from the outer wall. Shrapnel filled the playground and also reached the indoor parts of the school. If there had been any children outside, this would have been a disaster.

“One of the shells hit the home of one of our students, killing him and his brother and injuring his mother and father.”

Following these incidents, as a precautionary measure, Save the Children suspended the work in two vaccination centres it supports in Idlib. As a result, the delivery of vaccines to children will be impacted, requiring more efforts to follow up with children who had appointments. The centres provide vaccination support for 500 children each month.

Sonia Khush, Save the Children’s Syria Response Director said:

“This is extremely saddening news. Children have lost their lives and others have endured a terrifying incident on a morning they were expecting to have a normal school day. It is appalling to see schools and civilian areas coming under attack – schools should be places of learning and safety, not of war. The people of Syria continue to pay a heavy price for violations committed.

“Civilians continue to bear the brunt of attacks like this. We call on all warring parties to make sure children and civilians are protected and to respect international and humanitarian law.”

The latest attacks could not have come at a worse time for people in Idlib, with fears of a new wave of displacement if the violence persists. The past two days have brought heavy rains and caused flooding in nine camps for displaced people. Around one million people have been displaced this year already and are facing harsh winter ahead.[1]

The recent weeks have seen an escalation of conflict in several areas in the northwest, which threatens to derail any chances of a lasting peace.

Save the Children is calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities. All sides must respect International Humanitarian Law and protect schools, hospitals and other vital civilian infrastructure from attack. Children are particularly vulnerable to the impact of explosive weapons, and warring parties should make a particular effort to protect them.

Since the launch of Canada’s Syria strategy in 2016, the Canadian government has repeatedly condemned the deliberate attacks targeting civilians in northwest Syria and has fully supported the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

School safety has been a particular concern of Canada and Foreign Affairs Minister Champagne spoke out just last week in a statement on the concerning pattern of school attacks around the globe. He reiterated that “education is a fundamental right. Safe schools allow young people to broaden their minds and realize their full potential. That is why it has been so disturbing to witness recent attacks that have deliberately targeted children and education facilities. Canada will always defend the right to safe access to education, both at home and abroad.”

Canada must continue to speak up for the rights of children in conflict and push for accountability on perpetrators when children’s rights are violated.

Children continue to be killed in conflict, despite the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a global cessation of hostilities earlier this year. Instead of a ceasefire, ongoing violence is pushing the children of Syria and their communities to the brink and hindering the battle against the COVID-19 outbreak.

ENDS

[1] https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/nws_flash_update_20200305_final.pdf .