The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday set up an independent working group to clarify what happened to the tens of thousands of people missing in the Syrian civil war.
More than 100,000 people have disappeared since Bashar al-Assar’s regime crushed an uprising in 2011, according to NGOs. More than half a million people have died.
“After 12 years of conflict and violence, little progress has been made in alleviating the suffering of families by providing answers about the fate of the missing persons,” said the resolution, which was passed by 83 votes to 11. 62 abstentions.
In addition to clarifying the fate of the missing and their whereabouts, the so-called Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic also aims to “provide adequate support to victims, survivors and relatives of the missing.” .
Along with Russia and China, Syria objected to the new working group, saying it had not been consulted. It is unclear how the UN investigation will proceed without the cooperation of the Syrian government. It is believed that IS and other terror groups as well as the regime have made Syrians disappear.
Through its UN ambassador, Damascus dismissed the initiative as hostile interference from the West, in particular the United States. For example, the mechanism could in the future be used against other UN member states, especially developing countries.
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