UN chief outraged by attack on camp housing displaced people in Syria

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday expressed his outrage at an attack on a makeshift camp for displaced persons in Syria near the Turkish border.

It is reported that on Thursday, air strikes on the camp near the Syrian village of Sarmada in Idlib province killed at least 28 people.

"The United Nations, along with humanitarian partners on the ground, are assessing the needs and mobilising a response for the families who fled the camp out of fear of further attacks," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson.

"Those responsible for yesterday's seemingly calculated attack against civilians in the camp in Idlib, which could constitute a war crime, must be held accountable," it added.

According to the statement, Ban called on the UN Security Council to "send a strong message" to all warring parties that there will be serious consequences for grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Ban also urged the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

In light of recent developments, Syria's predicament is in danger of returning to levels witnessed before a nationwide ceasefire came into force on Feb. 27.

Areas including but not limited to Aleppo and Homs have been particularly hard-hit by an upsurge in fighting between government forces and opposition factions in a war where civilians and healthcare workers have all too often been at the receiving end of shelling and bombing sprees.

On Wednesday, the Syrian army announced that a 48 hour regime of silence will start in Aleppo as of Thursday. However, the rebels in eastern Aleppo violated the truce just a few minutes after it went into effect with two mortars slamming west of Aleppo.

Apart from failure to cease hostilities in the major city in northern Syria, three rounds of UN-mediated peace talks have yet to make tangible progress as deep-seated disagreements continue to permeate proximity negotiations. Enditem