Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that the forced movement of civilians in Syria may be a war crime, as one of the largest population transfers in the country's six-year civil war is taking place.
Guterres said in a report to the Security Council circulated Monday that the U.N. has repeatedly expressed concern at local evacuation agreements that follow the decimation of an area and result in forced displacement of civilians.
He reminded Syria's government and opposition groups who reach such agreements that forced displacement of civilians is "permissible solely in order to guarantee their security or for imperative military necessity." Otherwise, forced movements are prohibited and may be war crimes, he said.
Thousands of Syrians are currently being evacuated from four besieged towns and the opposition-held al-Waer neighborhood in Homs.
