A/HRC/43/57 to withdraw. The agreement between the United States and Turkey was followed on 22 October by the signature of a memorandum of understanding between President Putin and President Erdogan that enabled Russian military police and Syrian border guards to enter Turkish-Syrian border areas and facilitate the removal of elements of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units.5 The Russian Federation and Turkey also agreed to begin joint monitoring patrols in the area. Despite the announcement by the Russian Federation of the complete withdrawal of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, clashes between Turkish forces and Kurdish groups, as well as the Syrian army and Turkish-backed forces, continued. On the issue of the return of Syrian refugees, President Erdogan presented the Secretary-General with a plan for new settlement areas within the 30-km “safe zone”. 15. On 17 December, the United States Senate passed the “Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act” authorizing sanctions against the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and any other individuals who are “responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses committed against citizens of Syria or their family members”. President Trump signed the bill into law on 20 December. 16. The situation in centre and south of the Syrian Arab Republic remained volatile. Throughout the reporting period, ISIL attacks in Dar‘a, Homs and Dayr al-Zawr Governorates killed several Syrian soldiers. The terrorist organization regrouped in the east of the Syrian Arab Republic and increased attacks against pro-government forces, in particular around Mayadin and Albu Kamal. Sporadic clashes between the Syrian army and ISIL terrorists were also ongoing around Sukhnah and Tadmur (Homs Governorate) and had a significant impact on the security and freedom of movement of civilians. In Dar‘a, following protests, the Government issued an amnesty for those arrested after July 2018, in an attempt to reduce tensions, however, few releases occurred. In July, August and November, air strikes by Israel hit Tal-Haraa in the south of the Syrian Arab Republic, several alleged Hizbullah facilities and Iranian and Syrian positions outside Damascus. These developments continued to contribute to a highly complex protection situation for civilians across the Syrian Arab Republic. III. Resurging violence against civilians 17. During the period under review, attacks by belligerent parties killed and injured scores of Syrian women, men and children. Fierce battles further destabilized the provision of services, and deprived countless civilians from accessing medical services and education, as well as food and water. As the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic evolves, it has resulted in the active intervention of a number of Member States in support of and in opposition to the Government, through both direct actions on the ground, and through the provision of logistical, material and financial support to non-State armed groups.6 18. Displacement was most often caused by the failure of warring parties to take all feasible precautions to spare the civilian population, or by other unlawful conduct by parties that carried out attacks with little regard for civilian life. 5 6 The memorandum laid out that, starting 23 October 2019, Russian military police and Syrian border guards would enter the Syrian side of the Turkish-Syrian border, outside the area of Operation Peace Spring, to facilitate the removal of elements of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and their weapons. States have an obligation under common article 1 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 “to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances”. As common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions is part of each of the four “present” conventions as well, this obligation extends as a matter of treaty obligation to the minimum guarantees provided for in common article 3 in situations of “armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties”. See conference room paper “Human rights abuses and international humanitarian law violations in the Syrian Arab Republic, 21 July 2016–28 February 2017 (A/HRC/34/CRP.3, paras. 99–103). Available from www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/IICISyria/Pages/Documentation.aspx. 5