The Kamuna refugee camp massacre, also known as al-Kamouna refugee camp massacre or the Sarmada camp air strike, occurred on 5 May 2016, during the Syrian civil war. The camp was close to the Turkish border, in
Idlib province
Idlib Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة ادلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Ha ...
about west of Aleppo. Between 28 and 30 people were killed in the Kamuna refugee camp near
Sarmada
Sarmada ( ar, سرمدا) is a town in the Harem District, Idlib Governorate of Syria.Syria, initially reported to be by bombing from warplanes. Children were among the killed. The attack came during the truce negotiations between the warring factions.
Witnesses state that the camp was struck twice, causing many tents to be set on fire.
Events
After the forces of Bashar al-Assad conducted an offensive on Aleppo in April 2016, an informal settlement, Ghita Al-Rahmeh, near the village of Al-Kamoneh, was assembled to host over 2,500 refugees (450 families) who fled from Aleppo towards the north. There were no military targets near the refugee camp, and it was clearly visible from the sky. At that time, the war planes flying over the province were typically those of the Syrian Armed Forces and the Russian Air Forces.
UN Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary- ...
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
officials condemned the attack and declared it a possible war crime. Ki-moon once again urged the
Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
to refer the situation in Syria to the
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals f ...
(ICC). The
UNCHR
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...
called the attack a "shocking disregard for civilian life" and described it as a "flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law".
Syrian military representatives stated that they had not targeted the camp. Russia stated that none of its aircraft had flown over the refugee camp, and its air-space monitoring data showed no flights by any aircraft over the camp. Russia's Defense Ministry officials stated that damage shown in photographs and video suggested the camp may have been hit by multiple launch rocket systems which were being used in the area by Al-Nusra. The
OHCHR
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nat ...
chief Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein said that the initial reports of the camp being hit by Syrian Air Force jets was not verified.
See also
*
List of massacres during the Syrian Civil War
This is a list of massacres committed during the Syrian civil war.
2011
* Between 31 July and 4 August 2011, during the Siege of Hama, Syrian government forces reportedly killed more than 100 people in an assault on the city of Hama. Opposit ...
Darayya massacre
The Darayya massacre ( ar, مجزرة داريا) was a massacre carried out by Syrian government forces of Bashar al-Assad that occurred between 20 and 25 August 2012 in the town of Darayya in the Rif Dimashq province of Syria, during the S ...