U.N. Discusses Syrian Conflict

scottfiller_ungenevaIn a recent article published by the Voice of America, U.N. investigators in Geneva, Switzerland are warning that the Syrian conflict is threatening the entire region. According to the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, there is a growing threat of a regional war in the Middle East. Latests reports document the extent of the violence and suffering that the Syrian people are experiencing after more than three years of war. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry states that the most dangerous aspect of these newest developments is the increase of the sectarian threat. They believe that this threat is a direct consequence of extremist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq.

Vitit Muntarbhorn, a commission member, stated that at some point the Commission predicted the dangers of the Syrian conflict from its borders all the way into the regional areas. According to Muntarbhorn, there are many radical elements involved in this impending war and that the flow of arms coming from the outside are aggravating the situation at hand. The conflict at first did not have sectarian influence but over time, it became that way. The latest update from the Commission, which covers March 15th to June 15th states that in previous investigations, the Syrian government has denied the Commission access into the country. However, the Commission was still able to compose a list of violations and atrocities committed by all the parties through eye witness reports. From these reports, the Commission realized how prevalent war crimes and crimes against humanity were. In addition, the Commission received thousands of photographs of bodies that had been abused and killed in the government military facilities in Syria.

The photos showed signs of abuse and torture that had been previously documented by the Commission. The report also describes the civilians being targeted and also institutions such as schools and hospitals. Moving forward, the commission believes that a political solution is the only way to end the war, however, this is leading to violence because the opponents are not fearful of consequences of any kind.