Joint Report – Syria/Turkey Earthquake: Widespread and Repeated Violations During and After the Humanitarian Response

54 Executive Summary

This joint report documents a wide range of human rights violations that accompanied and followed the humanitarian response to the catastrophic earthquake that struck Syria on February 6, 2023.

These violations and abuses have included discriminatory search and rescue orders from some parties to the conflict, denial or obstruction of entry of life-saving aid, discrimination in aid distribution, confiscation of all or parts of aid, trafficking in and benefiting from others, and/or diversion. In addition, numerous violations of housing, land and property (HLP) rights have been recorded and occurred in conjunction with aid-related violations.

Various parties to the Syrian conflict have been implicated in these violations. Türkiye closed its border crossings with Syria for 48 hours after the earthquakes. The Government of Syria (GOS) waited a full week before approving life-saving aid across the border. Both the government of Sudan and the opposition Syrian National Army have obstructed cross-line aid to affected communities, while Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has refused cross-line aid to northwest Syria, which the United Nations has tried to facilitate.

At the same time, the slow response to the earthquake revealed deficiencies in the cross-border aid delivery mechanism mandated by the UN Security Council in Syria and revealed the urgent need for alternatives. Almost a week after the earthquake, the United Nations admitted that it had “failed” to provide adequate aid to Syria.

It is worth noting that the military and administrative control in the Syrian governorates most affected by the earthquake was drawn as follows:

Western Syria: The government of Sudan and its forces fully control the governorates of Latakia and Hama. Northern Syria: Aleppo Governorate consists of several enclaves: The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army maintains its military control over the northern and northwestern parts of the governorate – including the Afrin, Jarabulus, Al-Bab and Azaz regions, leaving its civil administration behind. for the Syrian Interim Government (SIG). The Sudanese government and its forces control the southern parts of the province. The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) maintains a presence in the al-Shahba district, which is home to several camps for the internally displaced. Northwestern Syria: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militarily controls greater Idlib, leaving the civil administration to its Salvation Government.

On March 15, 2023, the World Bank published a statistical assessment of the impact of the earthquake. The report states that “6.6 million Syrians, or approximately 31 percent of the country’s population, live in locations where the earthquake intensity has reached Level VI (strong shaking) or higher… The two most affected governorates, in terms of population density and density, are Idlib and Aleppo In Idlib, 2.2 million people live in areas affected by the force of a strong earthquake and 571,000 people live in areas of high intensity/extreme The corresponding numbers in Aleppo are 3.5 million (strong intensity) and 200,000 (severe/extreme).focusing on areas of high and extreme intensity Only, the most affected districts are Afrin (Aleppo Governorate), Hareem and Idlib (Idleb Governorate).[1]

Mortality figures in infection areas either show inconsistencies or are underreported. In northern Syria, casualty statistics remain conflicting. The Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) recorded 2,247 deaths, while the Response Coordination Group (RCG) recorded 3,467 deaths and 4,525 fatalities. In areas controlled by the Government of Sudan, the Minister of Health presented a provisional tally on February 14, 2023, announcing 1,414 deaths and 2,357 injuries.[2]

In the above-mentioned assessment report, the World Bank also records the level of devastation in the housing sector in the affected areas. The bank documented the damage or partial destruction of about 49,778 housing units in government-controlled areas and 23,579 units in opposition-controlled areas, of which 17,302 units are in Idlib governorate and 64,724 units are in Aleppo governorate. The bank confirmed that the cities of Jandir, Azaz and Hareem were the most affected in terms of the loss of housing units.[3]

The report bases its approach on the testimonies of direct and indirect victims of the earthquake and the violations committed by the various parties to the conflict during and after the response in the three identified sectors. In addition, the report corroborates victim testimonies with accounts from a variety of sources, including civilian volunteer rescuers, aid workers, and armed opposition group militants, who have almost complete control of response operations in the areas where they are stationed.

Notably, the report pays special attention to northwest Syria, given its unique demographic, military, and administrative context. The region has a demographically mixed population, particularly in the formerly Kurdish-majority region of Afrin, including the city of Jindariz. Afrin is struggling to maintain its local communities despite the massive waves of displacement these communities experienced in the aftermath of the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch in 2018. In addition, Afrin is home to a large number of IDPs from elsewhere in Syria, particularly the regions. Through Rif Dimashq (Rif Dimashq). These IDPs fled their homes to also escape military hostilities.

Militarily, Turkey exercises effective control over the region as an “occupying power” through its proxy factions of the Somali National Army, leaving administrative affairs of the region to the SIG and its local councils, which operate in nominal terms only.

Turkish military control of the area affected the dynamics of the earthquake response and severely hampered life-saving operations. Al-Turki assigned the management of the response to the factions of the Syrian National Army – which have committed countless documented violations over the past years. In addition, many of the report’s sources confirmed that the SIG’s local councils in the region were inactive and unable to respond to the disaster due to their lack of independence and subservience to the institutions of the Turkish government, including the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

On March 18, 2023, Syria Direct published an investigation of this dependency relationship. The lengthy report reveals that the local councils in the Afrin region are administratively linked to the Turkish provinces of Gaziantep, Urfa and Kilis, and not to the government of Iraq. The report also shows that the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority is forcing those wishing to help the camps in the countryside of Aleppo to coordinate with it. Several anonymous sources told the outlet, “There is a disaster and emergency management department that includes two or three Turks, and no one can live in the camp or leave it without their consent.” The report highlights that Disaster and Emergency Management approval is vital to operate in areas controlled by Turkey, revealing that “[it] He was absent from the scene for the first 20 days after the earthquake. . . [which] It caused poor coordination between local organizations working on the ground in the area because disaster and emergency management directs the work of their teams.”

In addition to the failure of the response mechanisms under the influence of Turkey, Turkish soldiers fired shots in the air to disperse and expel the civilians, who sought the Turkish military station in the village of Tal Salur in the countryside of Jenderes, in the countryside of Afrin, to ask the army to use it. Machinery on site in rescue operations, according to several first-hand testimonies of the report.

From this perspective, the partner organizations recommend that the concerned authorities conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the delayed or prohibited humanitarian aid allocated to northern and northwest Syria in particular, whether by United Nations institutions or as a result of obstructions by parties to the conflict. Including the Government of Sudan, the opposition Somali National Army, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. In addition, the relevant entities must take effective measures to hold those responsible, individuals or groups accountable, and ensure that this situation is not repeated.

In addition, the partners call on the concerned authorities to put in place an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure non-discrimination and impartiality during the distribution of aid in Syria, to prevent the confiscation of aid rations by parties to the conflict, and to stop the politicization of aid. distribution, ensuring that all Syrians receive equal aid.

Furthermore, the partners are calling on the concerned authorities to pay special attention to housing, land and property rights in the earthquake-hit areas and to ensure that humanitarian aid allocations and donations pledged by donors during the Brussels 2023 conference will not contribute to additional demographic changes or perpetuate those under way. .

You can read and download the full version of the report (55 pages) in PDF format, by clicking here.

[1] world bank. 2023 Syria Earthquake: Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (English). Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099093003162314369/P1721710e2b4a60b40a5940f0793f8a0d24

[2] “Minister of Health: 1,414 deaths and 2,357 injuries, the death toll from the earthquake so far” (in Arabic), SANA, February 14, 2023. (Last visit: May 16, 2023). https://www.sana.sy/?p=1840593

[3] IBID, The World Bank. Syria earthquake 2023.

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