South Syria Torn between a Grim Fate of Forced Displacement and Starvation or an Almost Certain Death by Falling Back into Syrian Regime’s Control The US Abandons its Commitments in South Syria Agreement Tuesday, July 31, 2018 1 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), founded in June 2011, is a non-governmental, independent group that is considered a primary source for the OHCHR on all death toll-related analyses in Syria. Contents I. Introduction and Methodology II. The US Administration is Directly Responsible for the South Syria Travesty III. Toll of Most Notable Violations in the aftermath of the Syrian-Russian Offensive on South Syria IV. South Syria is another Eastern Ghouta Scenario V. The Syrian Regime Violates Russia-Sponsored Agreements VI. Forced Displacement Enforced by the Barbarian Offensive, Followed by Coerced Evacuation Agreements VII. Civilians in Hawd al Yarmouk Area, Trapped between the Syrian Regime’s Terrorism and ISIS’s VIII. Most Notable Violations by Russian-Syrian Alliance Forces in the South Region IX. Legal Description and Recommendations I. Introduction and Methodology The region of south Syria has sealed the complete collapse of the so-called “the de-es- calation zone agreements”, yet another item in a long list of Security Council’s failures as the Security Council didn’t maintain any form of security or peace in Syria or prevent the displacement of hundreds of thousands in south Syria. This crippling powerlessness was deliberately staged and repeated over the course of seven years. After Russian forces had crushed Damascus suburbs governorate’s Eastern Ghouta and ended the armed opposi- tion’s resistance in northern suburbs of Homs, the collapse of the de-escalation agreement in south Syria comes as part of the policy to move from neutralizing one area to another despite the fact that the Syrian people, who refused to submit to the family rules in Syria, thought that south Syria will be different as this region (which comprises parts of Daraa, Quneitra, and Suwayda governorates) wasn’t only subject to the de-escalation agreement, which was the result of the fourth round of Astana talks, of which Russian was the prima- ry sponsor, and came into effect in May 2017, but also to a subsequent, more important agreement, namely the bilateral Russian-American agreement which was struck between President Trump and President Putin. The agreement provided for a ceasefire and com- menced on July 9, 2017. However, the barbarian bombardments, threats, displacements, and heinous massacres seen in south Syria all blatantly violate all pledges and agreements. 1 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org Methodology This report highlights the attacks carried out by Russian-Syrian alliance forces between mid-June and July 30, 2018, in addition to documenting the violations by ISIS in Hawd al Yarmouk area. We relied on accounts from survivors or victims’ relatives as well as the ongoing monitoring for developments and incidents by SNHR team and a wide network of relations including tens of various sources that have been built over the course of our work. This report contains two accounts that we’ve collected by speaking directly to eyewitness- es and are not cited from any open sources. We have explained the purpose of those inter- views to the eyewitnesses. The investigations included in this report have proved that the targeted areas were civilian areas that are devoid of any military bases or armories for factions from the armed opposi- tion or extremist Islamic groups during or even before the attack. Also, Russian and Syrian forces never issued any alerts to civilians prior to the attacks as required by the internation- al humanitarian law. SNHR has analyzed the videos and pictures posted online or sent by local activist via e-mail, Skype, or social media. Some videos posted by activists showed dead bodies of children and women, as well as the huge destruction in the aftermath of the attacks, in addition to pictures showing thousands of IDPs on the Syrian-Jordanian borders and the Golan borders. The south region is under the control of moderate armed opposition factions. The region embodied a vital model on how to eject extremist Islamic groups who only had a very lim- ited presence in the most southwest areas (Hawd al Yarmouk). Nonetheless, we haven’t recorded that those areas have been targeted in any Syrian or Russian attack until after one month into the offensive in south Syria. This report only covers the bare minimum, which we have been able to document, of the severity and magnitude of the violation that occurred. It also doesn’t cover the social, eco- nomic, psychological, and demographic ramifications. II. The US Administration is Directly Responsible for the South Syria Travesty Russian forces wouldn’t have felt secure enough to launch their barbarian bombardment and perpetrate massacres in south Syria, displacing tens of thousands of people in the process, if they haven’t had a greenlight from the US. The latter’s utter inaction to stop the massacres and the intense, ongoing displacement by Russian forces only asserts that. This implies that the US is a partner in the south Syria travesty on account of its abrupt abandonment of its pledges to maintain stability there. As such, the US should shoulder the ramifications of its shocking abandonment of the agreement in favor of the Russian side. 2 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org The US administration has monitored the military troops mobilized by the Syrian regime for the south Syria battle. The US Department of State released two statements before the offensive in which it warned of escalation and called on Russia to apply pressure on the Syrian regime to compel it to cease its attack. A third statement was released on June 21, but the US re- sponse was, eventually, limited to only that, issuing statements. About a month after the Russian offensive started in south Syria, President Trump and Pres- ident Putin held a meeting on July 16 in Helsinki city. The US president didn’t even mention the violation of the south Syria agreement as if it was something of no concern to him. This reminded the Syrians of the former US President’s redline which let the Syrian people down with respect to the chemical weapons issue. III. Toll of Most Notable Violations in the aftermath of the Syrian-Russian Offensive on South Syria SNHR has documented the following in the region of south Syria between June 15 and July 30, 2018 1. No less than 281 civilians were killed, including 84 children and 63 women (adult female) 2. No less than 12 massacres 3. No less than 25 attacks on vital civilian facilities, including 8 attacks on medical facilities 4. No less than 862 barrel bombs dropped by Syrian regime helicopters. 5. No less than 340,000 IDPs were forcibly displaced, some of them were displaced multi- ple times. 3 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org 4 snhr [email protected] www.sn4hr.org IV. South Syria is another Eastern Ghouta Scenario In their offensive on the strategic south Syrian region, Syrian regime forces employed the same tactics used in the Eastern Ghouta offensive in February 2018 where they carried out heavy airstrikes followed by an aerial shelling that targeted the rear lines on battlefronts, and, thirdly, deliberately targeting residential neighborhoods, medical facilities, and mar- kets which includes the civilians who are fleeing military operations. Backed by the Russian air force, Syrian regime forces carried out raids that aimed to split and besiege areas which forced their residents to surrender and agree to degrading negotiations and settlements. The military offensive in South Syria was launched on June 15, 2018, by carrying out at- tacks on eastern suburbs of Daraa governorate. These attacks were notable for a coordi- nated and intensified approach on June 19. Syrian regime forces managed to take over the villages of Bosr al Harir, Nahta, and Mleihat al Atash, as well as some villages in al Laja area in 11 days. This forced a number of areas (Dael and Ibta’ cities, as well as al Ghariya al Sharqiya, al Ghariya al Gharbiya, and al Karak al Sharqi) to seek local settlements, some of which were under a Russian sponsorship. Thanks to those settlements, Syrian regime forces entered those areas with no resistance while the armed opposition factions who were in control had to surrender their weapons. Starting on June 29, Bosra al Sham city saw a series of meetings between delegations from armed opposition factions and Russian forces. On the other hand, SNHR has monitored an escalation in terms of violations and airstrikes with each hurdle negotiations encounter, which was the case on July 4 when we recorded heavy Russian airstrikes on Seyda, Um al Mayathen, and Nasib towns. On July 17, the same scenario was repeated as Russian-Syr- ian alliance forces carried out hundreds of airstrikes and artillery attacks on Nawa city, northwestern suburbs of Daraa. On that day, SNHR monitored the killing of 22 civilians, including two children and four women, in Daraa governorate. Of those, 16 civilians, includ- ing three women and one female child, were killed in Nawa city. Additionally, houses and residential neighborhoods were widely destroyed while the city’s hospital and civil defense center were destroyed completely. These attacks were carried out as a retaliation after the negotiating delegation came back to Nawa city before reaching an agreement with the Russian side. V. The Syrian Regime Violates Russia-Sponsored Agreements On July 6, 2018, an agreement between armed opposition factions and Russian forces was announced.