On May 27th 2019, airstrikes and missile attacks across Idlib province in Syria killed at least 17 civilians and injured a further 47.
Among those killed were at least five children.
There has been a spike in violence, particularly impacting Idlib, since the end of April. This violence comes despite a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and Turkey that came into effect in September 2018 to protect the region.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) records casualties (i.e. people killed and injured) from explosive violence around the world as reported in English-language news sources.
Although Syria remained the worst impacted country globally from explosive violence last year, AOAV recorded a 27% decrease in civilian casualties (from 13,062 in 2017 to 9,587 in 2018), alongside a drop in explosive violence incidents (from 1,750 in 2017 to 1,224 in 2018). Nevertheless, almost 10,000 civilian deaths and injuries were recorded by AOAV as a result of the direct impacts of explosive weapons in the country.
In total, across the entirety of the country, state actors were responsible for over three-quarters (77%) of civilian casualties from explosive violence. Airstrikes were responsible for 53% of total civilian casualties in Syria.
AOAV condemns the use of violence against civilians and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. AOAV encourages all armed actors to stop using explosive weapons with wide-area affects where there is likely to be a high concentration of civilians.
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