Syria [fr]
"France reiterates its call for an immediate nationwide cessation of hostilities. The protection of civilians must remain an absolute priority. A lasting solution to the conflict can only be political. (...) France will continue its relentless fight against impunity for crimes committed in Syria. Those responsible for all these crimes will have to answer for their actions."
Nicolas de Rivière, French Ambassador to the UN, 26 January 2022
Context
In 2011, the Syrian regime’s repression of the peaceful protest movement led to the outbreak of the conflict, its militarization and then its internationalization. The conflict went through several major periods.
Until April 2013, the regime suffered major setbacks in the face of the opposition, which organized itself politically to ensure control of these large areas of territory.
The regime then began to receive military support from Iran and Hezbollah, which allowed it to slowly regain ground at a high cost. At the same time, terrorist organizations (Daesh and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Jabhat al Nosra) gained a foothold in the Syrian theater as a result of the crisis.
In 2015, the opposition led a large-scale counter-offensive (capture of Idlib in March 2015). The regime was then in a very fragile situation.
The military intervention of its Russian ally in September 2015 then reversed the balance of power in a massive and lasting way to the benefit of the regime, providing decisive air support. This led in particular to the fall of Aleppo in December 2016 and opened a period of recapture for the regime, including against historical strongholds of the opposition as Eastern Ghouta (spring 2018) or the region of Deraa (summer 2018).
The evolution of the conflict is also marked by the retreat of Daesh in 2017 and 2018. The terrorist group lost control of the city of Raqqa to the Syrian Democratic Forces in October 2017, supported by the International Coalition against Daech.
After the fall of the last Daesh territorial stronghold in Baghouz in early 2019, the Syrian Democratic Forces controlled the majority of Syrian territory east of the Euphrates River. However, Turkey launched several operations in northern Syria with the help of Syrian auxiliaries (Operations Euphrates Shield in 2017, Olive Branch in 2018 and Peace Spring in 2019).
Today three major areas coexist in Syria, without major changes in the dividing lines since late 2019:
• In the west and center, under the relative control of the regime and its allies (2/3 of the population and the majority of major cities);
• In the northeast, a territory divided into several zones of influence (Syrian Democratic Forces, the regime supported by Russia and Iran, Turkey and Syrian auxiliary forces);
• In the northwest, an area where many armed opposition groups have retreated and parts of which (Afrin and Azaz regions) are indirectly controlled by Turkey, which has conducted military operations there (Operation Euphrates Shield in the Azaz region in the summer of 2016, Operation Olive Branch in January 2018, Operation Peace Spring in October 2019).
Since the military offensive launched by the Syrian regime in the northwestern region of Idlib in mid-December 2019, which caused the exodus of nearly 700,000 civilians in two months, the situation on the ground has changed little although hostilities continue daily in the northwest and northeast of the country. The situation in the territories forcibly recaptured by pro-regime forces, particularly the southwest, remains precarious and marked by high instability.
Mobilization of the United Nations
Political situation
The United Nations has been given a mandate for mediating a political settlement to the Syrian crisis. The UN Secretary-General appointed Geir Pedersen in January 2019 to take over from Staffan de Mistura as Special Envoy to carry it out.
This UN mediation is aimed at implementing resolution 2254, which calls for the establishment of a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, the adoption of a new constitution, and the adoption of confidence-building measures including the release of detainees. Several sessions of talks between the opposition and the regime have taken place in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations but have failed to reach agreement on a political settlement due to systematic obstruction by the Assad regime.
Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, a large number of draft resolutions proposing concrete actions on the political and humanitarian situation have been presented to the Security Council. Of these draft resolutions, 16 could not be adopted because of a Russian veto, including ten with a double Russian-Chinese veto. France submitted several of these resolutions, alone or with its partners.
For France, the war is not over. There can be no lasting return to stability in Syria without a political solution in line with Resolution 2254 that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians and allows them to live in peace in their country. France’s objective is to create the conditions for a credible and inclusive political process. Thus, through its efforts with all the partners working in Syria, it encourages a way out of the crisis. It also provides constant support to the efforts of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for a lasting political solution. As long as a credible political process in line with Resolution 2254 is not firmly engaged, France - like the European Union and its Member States - will not finance the reconstruction of Syria, will not normalise its relations with the Syrian regime and will not consider lifting sanctions.
Humanitarian situation
After more than 10 years of conflict, the humanitarian situation in Syria is extremely deteriorated. According to the United Nations, 14 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. 90% of the Syrian population lives below the poverty line. 12.8 million people, or about 60% of the population, are food insecure. The Syrian crisis is the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 6.9 million internally displaced people and 5.6 million Syrians registered as refugees. In the absence of a nationwide ceasefire, continued violence is exacerbating this situation and threatens to displace people again. The conditions for a voluntary, safe and dignified return of IDPs and refugees are not yet in place.
The humanitarian response plan for Syria for 2022 and 2023 amounts to $4.2 billion and aims to meet the needs of 12 million people.
With the adoption of resolution 2165 in 2014, and its successive renewals, the Security Council established a cross-border mechanism allowing UN agencies and their partners to use the Bab al-Salam, Bab al-Hawa (both from Turkey), Al-Ramtha (from Jordan), and Al Yarubiyah (from Iraq) crossings to deliver humanitarian aid, without Damascus’s consent, including medical and surgical supplies, to people in need in Syria.
However, the mechanism was severely curtailed in 2020 and 2021, with only one crossing still open, Bab al-Hawa (resolutions 2504, 2533 and 2585), following vetoes by Russia and China.
The increase in humanitarian and medical needs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it more essential than ever to ensure safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need. The cross-border humanitarian mechanism will be necessary as long as aid does not reach all people in need throughout the country.
France is also committed to helping the Syrian population in Syria and in host countries. At the Brussels V conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”, held on 29 and 30 March 2021, France announced €560 million for the period 2021-2022, broken down as follows: approximately €425 million in loans and €137 million in grants. With €25 billion mobilised since 2011, the European Union and its Member States are the main donors to the humanitarian response in Syria and the region.
Chemical file
The Syrian conflict is also marked by the use of chemical weapons since 2013 and on numerous occasions. The repetition of these attacks constitutes a serious challenge to the ban on the use of chemical weapons and its non-proliferation regime. Successive international mechanisms have brought to light the reality of the use of these prohibited weapons and identified those responsible.
In August 2013, the Ghouta district (on the outskirts of Damascus) was the target of large-scale chemical attacks, killing many civilians. The September 2013 report of the UN chemical weapons investigation mission confirmed the large-scale use of chemical weapons. The details provided in the report and the known status of the Syrian chemical program leave no doubt that the Syrian regime is the perpetrator.
Following the Ghouta attack, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2118, which establishes a mechanism for dismantling and monitoring the Syrian chemical program. Some of the chemical stockpiles declared by Damascus have been removed from the territory for destruction. However, gaps remain in the regime’s initial declaration of chemical stockpiles, wich keeps on refusing to answer questions from international investigators.
Since 2014, allegations of chemical attacks in Syria, including chlorine and mustard gas, have increased, such as in Khan Sheikhoun, in Ltamenah (2017), or Douma (2018).
In response to persistent allegations of chemical weapons attacks in Syria, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) established a Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in April 2014 to determine instances of chemical weapons use in Syria. In particular, this mission conclusively established that sarin gas was used in the Khan Sheikhoun attack on April 4, 2017.
In 2015, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2209 condemning the use of chlorine in Syria and established a joint investigation mechanism of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) (Resolution 2235). This Joint Investigation and Accountability Mechanism for the use of chemical weapons in Syria (JIM) was charged with identifying those responsible for the chemical attacks. It issued two reports in August and October 2016, concluding that the Syrian regime and Daesh were responsible in four instances of use. However, the JIM’s mandate expired in November 2017, after Russia repeatedly blocked its renewal.
The regime’s use of chemical weapons continues to be documented and is also the subject of a specific investigation within the OPCW. On 8 April 2020, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) released the findings of its report on the use of chemical weapons in Ltamenah on 24, 25 and 30 March 2017. This report establishes with certainty that the perpetrators of these attacks belonged to units of the Syrian regime’s air force. A second report, published on 12 April 2021, again conclusively found the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime in an attack in the town of Saraqib in Syria on 4 February 2018.
In order to fight against the impunity of those who use or develop chemical weapons, France initiated in January 2018 the International Partnership Against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons (PICIAC). Some 40 States and the European Union are now members of the Partnership, which is an essential platform for coordination.
Fight against impunity
Since 2011, human rights and international humanitarian law continue to be systematically violated, particularly by the Syrian regime. Torture, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, sexual and gender-based violence and grave violations against children, attacks on hospitals, the regime of Bashar Al-Assad has been guilty of repeated violations of the most fundamental rights, including those that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. This is evidenced by the "Caesar" report, named after a former Syrian military photographer who collected 55,000 photos of 11,000 detainees who were tortured and died between 2011 and 2013 in several detention centers of the Syrian regime.
In August 2011, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution establishing the International Independent Investigation Commission on the Syrian Arab Republic, whose mandate is renewed annually. The mandate of this commission is to document the crimes committed in Syria, regardless of who committed them. Because of the Syrian regime’s refusal to grant access, the Commission has to carry out its investigations and interviews with victims outside Syria, largely in neighbouring countries. Its periodic reports cover all violations and crimes committed in Syria, reporting crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The creation in 2016 by the UN General Assembly of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism on Syria (IIIM) was a milestone in identifying those responsible for these crimes, including through the collection and preservation of evidence and the sharing of data and expertise, including with national jurisdictions.
Other UN bodies, such as the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, have also adopted resolutions denouncing the human rights violations committed by the Damascus regime.
France is also committed to ensuring that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice. In September 2015, the Minister of Foreign Affairs referred the matter to the public prosecutor, allowing the Paris prosecutor’s office to open a preliminary investigation for "crimes against humanity" against the Syrian regime on the basis of the Caesar report. Several investigations have since been opened in France, including in March 2021 for the chemical attacks in Ghouta in 2013.
Furthermore, the European Union’s targeted sanctions against the perpetrators of the repression in Syria constitute one of the essential instruments in the fight against violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Fight against Daech: the action of the international coalition
Since September 24, 2014, a coalition of 75 States and 5 international organizations, in which France participates, has been acting against the terrorist project of Daesh in Iraq and Syria. The Coalition has provided decisive military support to the Syrian Democratic Forces to successfully reconquer northeastern Syria and put an end to Daesh’s stranglehold on a territory of over 110,000 square kilometers. In addition to its military resources, the Coalition has also contributed since its creation to the stabilization of the liberated territories. It is now pursuing its action against Daech, whose clandestine cells remain active in Syria and are growing stronger, as demonstrated by the attack carried out on 20 January 2022 by Daech against the Hassakeh detention centre in north-eastern Syria. Only a political solution to the Syrian crisis will make it possible to eradicate terrorism in the region.