UN Raises Alarm Over New Abductions in Post-War Syria

The issue of missing persons in Syria is one of the most prominent humanitarian challenges resulting from years of conflict.

“Eleven months after the fall of the former government in Syria, we continue to receive worrying reports of dozens of abductions and enforced disappearances,” OHCHR Spokesperson Thameen Al-Keetan said during a press briefing in Geneva.

Syria is currently undergoing a political transition after the overthrow of the Assad regime in December 2024, following 13 years of civil war.

Responding to questions, Al-Keetan said OHCHR has documented at least 97 new cases of abduction since the beginning of the year. This comes on top of more than 100,000 people who went missing during the decades-long rule of the Assad family.

While some families have been reunited with missing relatives, many others still have no information about the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones.

He emphasised that clarification is urgently needed for all those who have gone missing both before and after the change of government. OHCHR expressed support for the work of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP), which has highlighted the widespread impact of disappearances across Syrian society.

Al-Keetan also drew attention to the disappearance of Hamza Al-Amarin, a volunteer with the Syria Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets. He went missing on 16 July while assisting in a humanitarian evacuation during violence in Suweida and remains unaccounted for.

“All armed actors, whether exercising state power or not, must protect humanitarian workers at all times, in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law,” he said.

He stressed that accountability for past and present violations is essential for Syria to achieve a durable and peaceful future.