With the number of refugees and those internally displaced on the rise, the UN has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
With the number of refugees and those internally displaced on the rise, the UN has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
The war in Syria has continued onto its ninth year, with the province of Idlib now at the forefront of the battle between Syrian opposition forces and those loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Long part of the opposition-held stronghold of northwestern Syria, Idlib has previously been at the center of fleeing opposition forces who have made the province part of their anti-Assad territory.
Syrian opposition groups, many of whom are said to be supported by Turkey, are now battling against the supposed Russia and Iran-backed pro-Assad forces in Idlib – which lies precariously close to the border with Turkey. More than one million Syrian refugees are currently living alongside the border with Turkey, with 700,000 recently forced to flee from Idlib after the recent fighting.
With the number of refugees and those internally displaced on the rise, the UN has warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe”. Aid workers have also stated that the IDP camps are already at maximum capacity, and with the recent influx of hundreds of thousands of those internally displaced, it has become a dire situation for both the camps and those forced to flee.
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Backing up in 2019, pro-government forces had launched a new campaign of aerial and ground advances against opposition forces – being militarily backed with heavy support from Russia. And despite the ceasefire agreed to earlier in the summer, both sides broke their deal and continued the fighting that eventually led to this year’s escalation in Idlib province.
The Syrian government is now reportedly attempting to take over the M5 highway, a strategic link between Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Idlib is also opposite Latakia province, where the Russian military airbase Hmeimim is located. With the conflict escalating after several Turkish military members were killed by Russian-backed Syrian government forces last month, the province is now seeing multiple countries involved in what has long been called a proxy war.
With Idlib currently home to more than three million Syrians, many of them who are internally displaced, the province – being one of the last opposition strongholds in northwestern Syria – continues to be the latest point of attack for pro-government forces. Civilians, those internally displaced, and refugees remain the most vulnerable and at-risk, as the latest level of fighting has intensified in an already overpopulated area on the border with Turkey.
