Parties involved in the Syrian conflict committed war crimes against civilians as they fought for control of Aleppo between July and December 2016, according to a report [text, in Spanish] released by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic [official website] on Wednesday. The report states that Syrian forces repeatedly targeted [press release] hospitals, schools, orphanages, and residential homes with bombings to target civilians and force a surrender. The commission said the attacks prevented Syrians in Eastern Aleppo from accessing food or supplies. They further conclude that the targeting of medical facilities amounts to a war crime. Syrian forces also used chlorine through eastern Aleppo, the report finds. Chlorine is a chemical agent prohibited under international law. The report also states that armed groups targeted western Aleppo for the sole purpose of terrorizing civilians. Further, evacuation agreements forced thousands of civilians to move to areas where they are once again under attack which, the commission stresses, amounts to forced displacement.

The war in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] continues to have a devastating impact. Last week, a UN envoy said bombings and air strikes in Syria were committed deliberately to disrupt peace talks [JURIST report] between both sides. In January, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland condemned [JURIST report] the interruption of water that has left millions of Syrians without clean access to water. Earlier that month Syrian warplanes resumed bombardment [JURIST report] in spite of a ceasefire agreement reached just days before. In December the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to establish an independent panel to investigate possible war crimes [JURIST report] in Syria. That month, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein accused Syrian pro-government forces of going door to door and systematically killing civilians [JURIST report] in at least four Aleppo neighborhoods. The Russian/Syrian coalition committed war crimes in Aleppo during September and October, Human Rights Watch said [JURIST report] in early December.