The scale of population displacement in Syria's Idlib province is unacceptable, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated in a press release on Tuesday, amid an escalation of violence as government forces attempt to re-capture territory in the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2020) The scale of population displacement in Syria's Idlib province is unacceptable, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated in a press release on Tuesday, amid an escalation of violence as government forces attempt to re-capture territory in the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country.
"This is the worst wave of displacement we've seen during the Syrian conflict. Amid the harsh winter conditions in Idlib, we see people trapped, isolated and running out of ways to cope. It's completely unacceptable," Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC's director for the Near and middle East said in the press release.
According to the ICRC, vulnerable groups such as the disabled and elderly have been disproportionately affected by the lack of goods and services amid the poor weather in the region. Additionally, the ICRC noted the decreasing lack of health care access in the region, which is leading to a significant rise in preventable deaths in Idlib province.
The ICRC also called upon all parties in the conflict to prevent attacks on civilian objects such as hospitals, markets, and schools. This past week, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that two hospitals in Aleppo province were hit by targeted strikes.
Mark Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, estimated this past week that roughly 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in northwest Syria since the government offensive began on December 1.
Rear Adm. Oleg Zhuravlev, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's center for Syria reconciliation, has cast doubt on reports that hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians are making their way to the border with Turkey, stating that there are no verifiable photographs or video recordings.
Russia in Syria established three humanitarian corridors in the Idlib de-escalation zone on January 25, which allow civilians to flee the hostilities and receive aid.
International organizations have condemned the violence in Idlib, and have called for an immediate ceasefire. On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that any ceasefire with terrorists from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, banned in Russia), would be a capitulation and would risk civilians' human rights.
