Eastern districts of Aleppo, located in north Syria, have been targets of explosive weapons–including cluster bombs, over the past two weeks. The damage to the civilian population is truly devastating. 320 civilians have been killed–including approximately 100 children–according to the United Nations.
Handicap International calls for immediate action to end all bombing of civilians, which has reached new and frightening levels. The indiscriminate or deliberate targeting of civilians is a violation of international law and the repeated attacks on hospitals and relief workers are entirely unacceptable.
Handicap International released a petition condemning the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, which sadly is common practice in on-going conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Ukraine, etc. In 90% of cases, victims of this barbaric practice are civilians.
When used in populated areas, they kill and cause serious injury and suffering (burns, open wounds, fractures, etc.) to civilians and can result in disability and psychological trauma. This leads to mass population displacement and destroys vital infrastructure including homes, schools, and hospitals.
During the bombing, some munitions will not explode on impact. These unexploded munitions remain a threat to the civilian population long after a conflict has ended. The presence of explosive remnants of war makes it dangerous for people to return to their homes once the conflict is over, causing further injuries and deaths.
Handicap International released a new report: Qasef: Escaping the bombing which takes an intimate look at the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.