![]() ![]() Because the resolution expires in January 2020, humanitarian organizations worry that Russia-highly critical of cross-border assistance-might veto it.ĭespite their best efforts, humanitarian organizations are reeling under the weight of Idlib’s overwhelming needs. This resolution allows cross-border aid into nongovernment-controlled areas without previous approval from Damascus. Humanitarian aid operations in Idlib and its surroundings are regulated by UN Security Council Resolution 2165, which is renewed annually and has been in place since 2014. However, that ceasefire, remains deeply fragile. On August 31, following Turkish President Erdogan’s visit to Moscow, Russia committed to a unilateral ceasefire. To halt these advances and stop the offensive, Ankara intensified diplomatic efforts with Russia. Under heavy Russian air cover, they recaptured strategic areas in northern Hama and southern Idlib and regained control of the M5 highway. However, Syrian forces recently made significant advances. Thanks in no small part to Turkey’s backing, these armed groups largely held the Syrian regime and Russia to a military stalemate on the ground for more than three months. However, Turkey also remains deeply engaged inside Idlib-where it supports armed groups fighting the regime-and in Syria more broadly, where it controls parts of the Aleppo province. ![]() To prevent refugee flows into Turkey, Ankara has built a wall nearly 500 miles long on its southern border with Syria. It already hosts more than 3.5 million Syrians, and the recent escalation could cause additional tens of thousands of refugees to seek refuge across the border. Turkey is deeply concerned over the impact of the offensive. In addition, HTS has reportedly committed serious human rights violations against civilians in northwest Syria, including arbitrary arrests, kidnapping, torture, and murders. Rebel groups have indiscriminately shelled government-controlled towns, killing scores of civilians. However, it did not provide any details about its timeline and process. In August 2019, the UN announced an investigation into these airstrikes. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) shared the coordinates for these facilities with the United Nations, which in turn shared them with the warring parties in a bid to protect them and first responders. More worrisome, Russian and Syrian airstrikes have deliberately targeted vital civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. In the past three months, the Syrian regime and Russia’s indiscriminate bombardment has killed more than 500 civilians and injured thousands more. Nearly half of that population have been displaced from other parts of the country retaken by Assad, and roughly two-thirds depend on humanitarian assistance. Idlib’s civilian population has largely borne the brunt of this escalation. By late April 2019, the Sochi deal had collapsed in the face of the Syrian regime’s military escalation, supported by Russia. In the event, HTS refused to withdraw and instead reasserted its dominance over much of the northwest. It stipulated the withdrawal of opposition armed groups, including Hay’at Tahrir as-Sham (HTS)-a former al-Qaeda affiliate-from a 12-mile demilitarized zone along the front lines, and the opening of two major HTS-controlled routes-the M4 and M5 highways that cross Idlib-to traffic and trade. This attack had been forestalled in September 2018 by a deal reached in Sochi, Russia between Russia and Turkey. Now the Syrian regime, backed by Russia, has launched a brutal offensive to recapture this last opposition stronghold in what could prove to be one of the bloodiest chapters of the Syrian war. As President Bashar al-Assad and his allies retook a large swath of Syrian territory over the last few years, rebel-held Idlib province and its surroundings in northwest Syria became the refuge of last resort for nearly 3 million people.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |