Syria: As 16 mn wait for aid, US begins indicting ex-officials for war crimes

UN humanitarians described the situation in Syria as chaotic and fluid, with more than 16 million people in the country requiring assistance.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on 9 December, Monday, said 1 million people were displaced from their homes in the west and northwest alone from 28 November to 8 December. "There is an urgent need for more shelter, food, and sanitation facilities," it said

The office said the recently displaced were primarily women and children from Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Idlib governorates. The situation is very fluid, with reports of more people returning in the last couple of days. Transportation routes were disrupted, limiting the movement of people, goods and humanitarian aid, reports Xinhua news agency.

Some looting of civilian properties and factories as well as warehouses holding humanitarian supplies has been reported, according to OCHA. 'Despite the challenges and the volatile situation, we and our partners continue to provide emergency aid,' the office said.

The office said that in northwest Syria, all humanitarian organisations in Idlib and northern Aleppo resumed regular operations and the three border crossings from Turkey used to deliver aid into Syria remained open.

'In the northeast, we are providing supplies for those who recently fled Aleppo,' OCHA said. 'In Aleppo, we are providing basic assistance including food, health and nutrition services, and support for access to clean water.'

However, the office said that health facilities are overwhelmed, with major hospitals operating at limited capacity due to shortages of staff, medicine and supplies.

"Our health partners continue to provide critical services in impacted areas, including providing trauma care kits," OCHA said. "They have also deployed medical units in reception centres and schools across Raqqa, Tabqa and Al-Hasakeh." The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) deployed mobile teams and established fixed clinics in Homs.

In northwest Syria, all 24 health facilities that had suspended operations recently resumed services, although others remain non-functional. "Syria is at a crossroads between peace and war, stability and lawlessness, reconstruction or further ruin," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said in a statement.

"There is a remarkable opportunity for Syria to move toward peace and for its people to begin returning home. But with the situation still uncertain, millions of refugees are carefully assessing how safe it is to do so. Some are eager, while others are hesitant," he said. "UNHCR's advice is to remain focused on the issue of returns," Grandi said.

"Patience and vigilance will be necessary, hoping that developments on the ground will evolve in a positive manner, allowing voluntary, safe and sustainable returns to finally occur — with refugees able to make informed decisions."

Grandi said that as the situation evolves, UNHCR will monitor developments, engage with refugee communities and support states in any organised voluntary returns. Some voices have been heard in nations hosting refugees on forcing refugees to return to their homes in Syria as Bashar al-Assad's government has collapsed following a sweeping offensive by militant groups.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, said the world body calls on donors to ensure that UNHCR and its partners have the resources to respond swiftly and effectively, including in neighbouring countries still hosting millions of refugees.

"These countries need international support to sustain their exceptional solidarity and generosity," Dujarric said. "Resources need to be provided as flexibly as possible to allow for assistance to be provided where it is most needed."

Meanwhile, a US federal indictment has charged two former senior Syrian intelligence officials from the regime of former president Bashar al-Assad with "war crimes against Americans and other civilians", the department of justice announced.

The indictment accuses Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65, of conspiring to commit war crimes by subjecting detainees, including US citizens, to cruel and inhuman treatment at detention facilities such as the Mezzeh Military Airport prison near Damascus, according to the justice department.

Warrants for their arrest have been issued, though both remain at large, the statement read on Monday, 10 December. "The perpetrators of the Assad regime's atrocities against American citizens and other civilians during the Syrian civil war must answer for their heinous crimes," attorney general Merrick Garland said in a statement.

"As alleged, these Assad regime intelligence officials whipped, kicked, electrocuted, and burned their victims; hung them by their wrists for prolonged periods of time; threatened them with rape and death; and falsely told them that their family members had been killed.

"The justice department has a long memory, and we will never stop working to find and bring to justice those who tortured Americans," he added.

Deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco reaffirmed the US's commitment to accountability, stating, "The Assad regime may have fallen, but our commitment to accountability continues unabated. For the second time in a year, the department of justice has brought charges against those who committed war crimes against US citizens, deploying a previously unused federal law to hold accountable individuals who engaged in cruel and inhuman atrocities during armed conflict."

FBI director Christopher Wray said the bureau remains dedicated to collaborating with international law enforcement to ensure justice is served. "Hassan and Mahmoud allegedly oversaw the systematic use of cruel and inhumane treatment on perceived enemies of the Syrian regime, including American citizens," he said.

According to the justice department, Hassan, as the director of Syrian Air Force Intelligence, managed a network of detention centres, including Mezzeh Prison. Mahmoud, a brigadier general, directed operations at the prison. From January 2012 to July 2019, the two allegedly conspired to identify, intimidate and punish individuals detained at Mezzeh, including protesters, medical aid providers to regime opponents and those who publicly criticised the Assad regime.

The indictment describes in detail the horrific treatment inflicted on detainees. Victims were beaten, electrocuted and burned with acid. Some had their toenails removed, were hung by their wrists for extended periods and were subjected to psychological torment, such as listening to the screams of other tortured detainees or being forced to share cells with dead bodies.

Guards reportedly threatened detainees with the death and sexual assault of their family members. Many were also deprived of adequate food, water and medical care. The indictment charges the two men with one count of conspiracy to commit the war crime of cruel and inhuman treatment. If convicted, Hassan and Mahmoud could face life imprisonment. Sentencing will ultimately be determined by a federal district court judge, taking into account the US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.