The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry yesterday published a 66-page report on the wave of violence that engulfed coastal and western central Syria from January, which primarily targeted Alawi communities and culminated in massacres in early March.

The independent commission, established on the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, was granted “unfettered access” to the coastal areas and affected communities by the interim government, which has sought to distance itself from the violence.

It found “no evidence of a governmental policy or plan to carry out such attacks”, but warns in the report that the government’s response is not enough in light of the scale of the violence, which included murder, torture, abductions and widespread looting and burning of homes.

Both interim government forces and fighters loyal to the former Assad regime, as well as private individuals, likely carried out war crimes, according to the report.

Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, chair of the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry, said: “The scale and brutality of the violence documented in our report is deeply disturbing.

“We call on the interim authorities to continue to pursue accountability for all perpetrators, regardless of affiliation or rank. While dozens of alleged perpetrators of violations have reportedly since been arrested, the scale of the violence documented in our report warrants expanding such efforts.”

Commissioner Lynn Welchman added: “The affected communities need to see urgent action to increase their protection. Beyond referral of suspected perpetrators to criminal justice, individuals suspected of involvement in violations during the March events should be immediately removed from active duties pending investigation.

“Additionally, screening processes need to be expanded so that known or suspected perpetrators of grave violations in the past are not recruited into the ranks of the interim government security forces.”

The violence examined in the report was most immediately sparked by an arrest operation launched by the Syrian interim authorities on 6 March 2025, to which pro-former government fighters responded by capturing, killing, and injuring hundreds of interim government forces.

This rapidly escalated into large-scale violence. Some 1,400 people, predominantly civilians, were reported killed in the ensuing massacres. The vast majority were adult men, but victims included approximately 100 women, the elderly and the disabled, as well as children.

The UN commission has acknowledged the commitment of Syria’s interim authorities to identify those responsible and ensure accountability for the March events.

A national inquiry, appointed by Syria’s interim president on 9 March, reported on 22 July that it had preliminarily identified 298 alleged perpetrators from military factions and 265 linked to armed groups associated with the former government, referring their names to the attorney general.

Commissioner Hanny Megally said: “The summary report and public briefing by the Syrian national inquiry on the March coastal violence are important steps in the process of obtaining truth and justice for all Syrians.

“We urge the prompt release of their full report, implementation of the recommendations, and a commitment to move quickly with reform of the judiciary to advance human rights compliant trials for all accused.”

The commission said it notes the constructive response from Syria’s interim authorities, reproduced as an annex to the report, and looks forward to continuing engagement with regard to the implementation of the report’s recommendations to aid in the prevention of future violations.

It said the urgency of such action is evident in light of the alleged violations and abuses during recent events in Suwayda, in southern Syria, which are currently under investigation by the commission.