The violence in Idleb has caused a mass exodus of populations. One of the worst, according to the United Nations (UN). In just two months, some 520,000 people have been displaced in northwestern Syria since December, one of the largest waves of exodus in the war-torn country, the international organization said on Tuesday (February 4th).
In the Idleb region, the regime is carrying out, with the support of Russia, an offensive aimed at reconquering this ultimate great bastion, which jihadists and rebels still dominate.
The regime's offensive has also led to mounting tensions between Syria and Turkey, which, in the aftermath of unprecedented deadly fighting between soldiers from the two countries, supports rebels and has troops in this border region.
Since December, the province of Idleb and its surroundings are, almost every day, the target of strikes of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which advances in the region thanks, in particular, to the support of Russian aviation.
More than 20 million inhabitants exiled since 2011
The conflict in Syria, which has killed more than 380,000 people since 2011, has also thrown more than half the pre-war population, more than 20 million, on the road to exile.
Civilians fleeing the violence in Idleb find refuge in areas further north, relatively spared, near the border with Turkey, which already hosts more than three million Syrian refugees.
According to the UN, the majority of the displaced flee south of Idleb to go to "urban areas and camps for the displaced" in the northwest of the province or in territories in the north of the neighboring region of Aleppo.
In one week, Mohamed Bahjat and his family were displaced three times, fleeing the fighting near the city of Saraqeb.
"We don't know where we're going," says the father of three. "We left under the bombing," said the 34-year-old, who is traveling with his parents and his brother.
#Syria: @MarkCutts underlines the urgency to intensify the humanitarian response in the northwest where 1/2 million civilians have fled their homes in the past 2 months.
The biggest challenge: shelters. Thousands are crowded with schools, mosques. Others in tents exposed to cold, rain. https://t.co/wOJMwGMSUq
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish president whose country fears a new influx of refugees from Syria, warned that he would not allow the Syrian regime to "gain ground" in the region.
During an interview with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, he warned that Ankara would retaliate "in the strongest possible way" if its troops are targeted.
On the night of Sunday to Monday, artillery fire from the Syrian regime left eight people dead on the Turkish side. Ankara responded to the attack by bombing Syrian positions, killing at least 13 people.
In Damascus, the command of the armed forces, which described the presence of Turkish forces in Syria as "flagrant aggression", warned that the army stood ready "for an immediate response to any" Turkish aggression against Syrian troops in the region, according to the official Syrian agency Sana.
Although they support opposing camps in Syria, Turkey and Russia have strengthened their cooperation on this issue since 2016. However, Ankara accuses Moscow of not putting enough pressure on Damascus to stop its offensive at Idleb.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he feared "an escalation" likely to lead to "a situation completely out of control" and called for a "cessation of hostilities" between Ankara and Damascus on Tuesday.
With AFP
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