Rising Violence In Idlib May Trigger New Migrant Influx To Europe - Turkish Red Crescent

Rising Violence in Idlib May Trigger New Migrant Influx to Europe - Turkish Red Crescent

The escalation of violence in Syria's Idlib province could lead to a new migrant influx in Europe that would bear resemblance to the crisis of 2015, Kerem Kinik, the president of the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and vice president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told Sputnik in an interview

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) The escalation of violence in Syria's Idlib province could lead to a new migrant influx in Europe that would bear resemblance to the crisis of 2015, Kerem Kinik, the president of the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and vice president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told Sputnik in an interview.

The long-running conflict in Syria was one of the main reasons for the surge in migrants and refugees attempting to reach Europe five years ago. A total of 860,000 refugees fled Syria in 2015 alone, while 5.6 million Syrian citizens have become displaced since hostilities commenced in 2011, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

In Greece, the first landing spot in the EU for most Syrian refugees, the UNHCR estimates that arrival numbers have risen from 36,310 in 2017 to 74,613 this past year, with many fearing that this figure could rise again in 2020. A total of 3.6 million displaced Syrian citizens remain in Turkey, on the EU's border.

On December 1, Syrian government forces launched an offensive in Idlib province to recapture pockets of the region controlled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorist organization (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia).

International organizations have condemned the violence in Idlib, and have called for an immediate ceasefire. On Monday, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock claimed that approximately 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in northwest Syria since the offensive began, and Kinik stated that a significant number would be looking to move to Europe.

"Yes, for those [Syrian refugees] in Idlib, there is nowhere else to go. While this is a contextual fact, we also observe a strong desire, among displaced, a preference to stay in their own country," the TRC president said.

Russian authorities have refuted Lowcock's claim of a wave of refugees fleeing the region. On Friday, head of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Rear Adm. Oleg Zhuravlev said that reports of hundreds of thousands of civilians heading for Syria's border with Turkey was not true and that there had been no verifiable photos or video recordings.

Despite the competing claims surrounding the number of people who have become displaced by the escalation in violence, Kinik called for humanitarian groups to be given full access to the region in order to help protect civilian lives.

"We should enable unhindered access of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Idlib and focus on how we should protect civilians from being targeted by parties to the armed conflict," the TRC president remarked.

He added that improving the humanitarian situation in the country was vital, especially as schools, homes, market places and hospitals have been targeted.

On Tuesday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned targeted strikes on health care facilities, adding that two such attacks were conducted on hospitals in Aleppo province the day before.

Kinik also stated that his agency will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those who have been caught up in the violence.

"Turkey currently hosts the largest number of refugees in the world and Turkish Red Crescent is one of the many agencies that strive hard to provide relief assistance to those in need in northwest Syria," he stated.

CATASTROPHIC HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Rebels took control of many areas of Idlib province in 2015, and since then, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated rapidly. International organizations have had difficulty accessing those in need of help, although Kinik stated that the situation has worsened since the start of the government offensive.

"The situation has already tragically deteriorated from December 2019 to today, yet another 1 million people forcibly displaced from southern parts of Idlib and western Aleppo. For people in Idlib, especially the displaced, life is very harsh as they rely on aid from humanitarian partners," the TRC president said.

Kinik added that civilians have been more frequently targeted in strikes in the region since December 1.

"The humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib is there for many years which is worsened by the escalation of violence and increase in indiscriminately targeting of civilians and civilian facilities," he remarked.

The TRC president also cited the closure of many hospitals in the region amid the escalation of violence. WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus on Tuesday estimated that approximately half of northwest Syria's health care facilities have been forced to close since the start of the December offensive.

The international community will be required to come together in order to protect civilians and improve humanitarian conditions in Idlib province, Kinik stated.

"Turkish Red Crescent, together with UN Agencies, Red Cross and Red Crescent partners and NGOs, aim to assist vulnerable communities in northwest Syria through helping them cope with the tragic situation since many years. I would like to emphasize that it's crucial to advocate for the continuity of life-saving humanitarian support in the region," the TRC president said.

He added that the singular role of his organization in Syria is to protect civilians from violence and provide life-saving assistance. However, other nations and organizations must contribute more in order to provide help to all those that need it, Kinik stated.

"I also call upon the international community to mobilize further capacity and resources to complement the current humanitarian efforts in northwest Syria," he remarked.

In recent days, a number of countries have pledged to provide humanitarian supplies to displaced Syrian citizens. Earlier on Friday, a Qatari charity committed to sending 200 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Syrian refugee camps on the border with Turkey.

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Mauer told Sputnik on Thursday that his organization is in contact with the Syrian government and other stakeholders in the war-torn country in the hopes of reaching agreements to provide more aid to the region's population.

With the world's attention increasingly turning to Idlib, Kinik outlined that his organization remains firmly committed to its humanitarian mission, and that the group will provide assistance after close examination of the situation on the ground.

"Turkish Red Crescent, and wider Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, is committed to providing humanitarian aid to those in need without any discrimination. We design our humanitarian interventions depending on evidence-based assessment of the needs," the organization's president said.

Moscow has stated that countries with influence over terrorist groups in Syria should apply pressure to allow civilians in the region to leave through Russian-administrated humanitarian corridors. On Wednesday, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia made this case at a Security Council meeting, while stressing the need to fully eliminate terrorist groups in Syria.

While Turkish humanitarian organizations, such as Kinik's TRC, are operating in the region, Ankara has also reinforced its military positions in Syria. On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the ruling party's parliamentary faction that the country could launch a full-scale military operation in Idlib at "any minute."

Tensions in the embattled province escalated after Syrian government forces shelled a Turkish observation post on February 3, killing seven military personnel and one civilian contractor. Turkey responded with a number of retaliatory strikes, and on Friday, Erdogan announced that a further 150 Syrian soldiers have been killed by Turkish forces.

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday that Turkey's support of militant groups in Idlib could lead to a further escalation in violence.

One day later, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation shared a 43-second video appearing to show a Turkish artillery unit providing support to armed militants in the region.

World leaders may make progress in resolving the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Idlib province at a proposed four-way summit in Istanbul on March 5, involving the leaders of Russia, Turkey, France, and Germany.