War ordnance hidden in trees’ trunks pose danger to eastern Ghouta residents
SOHR documents 20 explosions of unexploded ordnance in wood-burner stoves in two months
The dramatic increase in fuel prices spurs people across Syria to depend mainly on logs as a source of heating and cooking. However, the leftovers of unexploded munitions hidden in the trees’ branches and trunks, explode every now and then, killing and wounding innocent civilians.
These explosive ordnance have been left behind after military battles in the entire Syrian geography between all conflicting forces, in particular areas where intensive military operations occurred, including eastern Ghouta in Rif Dimashq.
SOHR sources in eastern Ghouta have confirmed that, in just two months, at least 20 wood-burner stoves went off after setting fire on logs used for heating and cooking as the remnants of explosive bullets, stuck in the trees’ trunks exploded.
These explosions, which injured several civilians, occurred in the areas of Saqba, Kafrabna, Hamouriya, Jisreen, Beit Ulla and Al-Marj sector.
Some residents of Eastern Ghouta spoke to the Syrian Observatory that the regime is deliberately disregarding the removal of unexploded war ordnance and warning people against the ongoing threat of these ordnances. However, farmers have been repeatedly filing complaints with security services after discovering large quantities of remnants of war spreading in agricultural orchards, but to no avail.
SOHR calls on all the relevant international organisations to work on the immediate neutralising and removal of unexploded war ordnance in Syrian. Explosive remnants of war (ERW) are a serious problem that need to be addressed urgently. SOHR would like to see, as a first step, the immediate involvement of international organisation in raising the awareness of local Syrians of the dangers of ERW.