UN CHIEF CONCERNED ABOUT ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIANS IN SYRIA

Tue 23 March 2021:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the recent attacks against civilians in northwestern Syria, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General reiterates that directing attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including medical units such as hospitals, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. There must be accountability for crimes perpetrated in Syria,” Haq said on Monday, adding that the “Secretary-General reaffirms the need for a nationwide ceasefire.”

According to the UN spokesperson, dozens of civilians in Syria were injured and killed in the latest attacks.

“A hospital in western Aleppo Governorate hit by artillery strikes on 21 March had received UN support. There have also been reports of shelling of a residential neighborhood in Aleppo city causing civilian casualties, as well as airstrikes close to densely populated areas with camps for displaced people.

Aerial attacks have also been reported near Bab al Hawa on the Syria-Turkey border, where life-saving UN cross-border humanitarian deliveries take place,” Haq said.