A string of disappearances involving children and teenagers in Syria’s Aleppo (Heleb) province throughout May has sparked mounting public panic and raised questions over worsening security and state inaction, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday.
Dozens of boys and several girls vanished from Aleppo and the countryside to the east of the city in recent weeks. Residents fear the children may have been lured, coerced, or threatened—possibly linked to trafficking networks or armed groups.
Some of the boys reportedly returned days later providing similar accounts of having been in Sarmada, a key gateway town in rebel-held Idlib near the Turkish border. However, no details were received on why or how the trips were made, or who facilitated them. It is a dangerous journey from Aleppo to Idlib, even for adults.
One boy was found disoriented in an abandoned Aleppo building two days after disappearing. With no official explanation from Syrian security services, speculation is rife.
The absence of government reassurance has only deepened distrust and anxiety in a region already destabilised by years of conflict. Parents and residents are urging authorities to investigate and communicate transparently, warning that continued silence could further erode public trust and put more children at risk.
