Project of Mass Forced Displacement & Demographic Change in Syria Continues Amid Total international Inaction

Press release

Syrian Coalition

Media Department

May 4, 2018

The Syrian Coalition strongly condemns the continued mass forced displacement the Assad regime and the Russian and Iranian occupation forces are carrying out against civilians in northern rural Homs and the adjacent southern rural Hama.

These operations are a continuation of plans aimed at changing the demographic landscape in Syria. All methods of killings, bombardment, and crimes are being used to achieve these plans. Russia and Iran have violated all international agreements with the aim of undermining all efforts to reach a settlement.

All deals leading to mass forced displacement and demographic change are absolutely illegal as they are being reached under coercion and the commission of the most heinous crimes. No party can claim the right to conclude, sponsor, or legitimize the mass forced displacement or justify or recognize its consequences.

The deal that has recently been reached in northern rural Homs came despite the popular protests rejecting the displacement and followed repeated violations of the de-escalation zones agreement. The most serious violations took last Monday when the Assad regime air force carried out dozens of airstrikes on the towns and villages of northern rural Homs to force the besieged population to leave the area.

The current situation directly serves the Iranian plans to create further chaos and export violence and terrorism to countries of the region. The latest developments on the ground risk dragging the region to a prolonged conflict through which ethnic and sectarian cleansing operations are passed by an Iranian political decision with direct support from Russia.

The Syrian Coalition calls upon the international community to work on stopping the violations taking place against civilians in rural Homs and rural Hama. We warn of the consequences of the mass forced displacement operations taking place in Syria as well as of the violations taking place against civilians in the areas that are being recaptured by the Assad regime. The Assad regime is fueling the sectarian strife to serve its own goals and those of its backers.

Keeping silence or limiting the response to mere condemnation will be seen as a green light for the continuation of the mass forced displacement, which amounts to partnership in this process. The Syrian Coalition reminds the international community again of its responsibilities towards this crime and to take action to prevent a new forced displacement campaign. Action must also be taken to force the Assad regime and its allies to fully and immediately implement international resolutions, especially the de-escalation zones agreement so as to ensure the resumption of the Geneva process as the only way to reach a political settlement in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and international legitimacy.