A/HRC/34/64
severely wounded, though both have since recovered. Local authorities told one witness that the
rockets employed were one metre in length. There was no military position in the neighbourhood.
VIII. Aleppo countryside
Attack on humanitarian convoy
79.
On 19 September, in Orum al-Kubra (western Aleppo governorate), a United
Nations/SARC convoy was attacked by air, killing at least 14 civilian aid workers and
injuring at least 15 others. The attack also destroyed 17 trucks and, with them, food,
medicine, children’s clothes and other supplies destined for families in western Aleppo
governorate controlled by armed groups, including Atarib and Ibbeen. The attack began
shortly after the General Command of the Syrian Armed Forces issued a statement
declaring an end to the ceasefire in place since 12 September. After the attack, the United
Nations announced a suspension of all aid convoys in the Syrian Arab Republic.5
80.
The 31-truck convoy had travelled from Government-controlled areas with the
knowledge and permission of government authorities, and arrived in the early afternoon at
the SARC warehouse in Orum al-Kubra, a town controlled by armed groups. The
warehouse was located on the road between Atarib to Aleppo, approximately one kilometre
from Orum al-Kubra. As there was not enough space for all trucks in the warehouse, some
parked along the road. Several witnesses recalled that armed group fighters used the road
for transportation, although none were aware this had been the case on the day of the attack.
All witnesses denied that armed group vehicles had accompanied the convoy.
81.
Upon arrival at the warehouse, at approximately 1.30 p.m., 42 SARC staff and other
workers began unloading goods from the trucks and sorting them for distribution. Survivors
of the attack recalled seeing aircraft in the area, but continued working because they
assumed that the aircraft were monitoring the ceasefire. The Russian Federation later
released video footage showing a Russian drone monitoring the convoy.
82.
At sunset, at approximately 6.30 p.m., aid workers were warned via walkie-talkie (a
means commonly used to transmit an alert of imminent attack) of the presence of aircraft in
the area. The workers subsequently learned that helicopters were heading towards the
warehouse. The aerial attack began shortly afterwards, at approximately 7.10 p.m.
83.
Accounts from survivors and others present in the vicinity consistently described the
attack as comprising three stages. First, helicopters dropped barrel bombs, which struck the
warehouse and a family home nearby. Immediately thereafter, people rushed to the scene to
assist the wounded, but were forced to retreat and seek cover when the helicopters returned
and dropped a second round of barrel bombs (see annex I, para. 49). Subsequently, planes,
described by several witnesses as Sukhoi jets, carried out attacks, killing several aid
workers. Lastly, the aircraft fired machine guns at survivors.
84.
Survivors described scenes of panic as workers were killed and maimed in the dark.
The attack lasted at least 30 minutes. Those who could escape fled to nearby locations,
although almost nobody was left unscathed. After the attack, rescuers rushed to the scene to
find several bodies; some were charred beyond recognition, while others were missing
limbs. The recovery of bodies continued throughout the following day.
5
On 17 December 2016, a board of inquiry appointed by the Secretary-General to investigate the attack
on the humanitarian convoy published a summary of its findings, available at https://dpaps.atavist.com/summary-of-un-headquarters-board-of-inquiry-report.
17
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