The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Civilian mass exodus: Nearly 140,000 flee Aleppo and Idlib in less than 14 days as Regime and Russia step up military operations

Residents of the villages and towns in Maarrat Al-Nu’man countryside, Saraqib town and countryside, Ariha city and the rest of Jabal Al-Zawiya in Idlib, and the western countryside of Aleppo, have been still continuing to displace from their areas against the backdrop of the escalating military operations by the regime and Russia on the “de-escalation” zone.

Syrian regime and Russia follow systematic policy of displacement by stepping up aerial and ground bombardment, in order to force civilians to flee their areas, so that they can unleash a vast ground military operation, as happened in Idlib and Hama.

Since Wednesday, January 15, Syrian Observatory activists documented the displacement of nearly 140,000 civilians who have been forced to flee their areas in both Aleppo and Idlib.

It is noteworthy that tens of thousands of these displaced people were of families displaced earlier from Idlib, Hama and other Syrian areas to the western countryside of Aleppo.

Most of the displaced people headed to the north-western countryside of Idlib near the Syrian border with Iskenderun, while some others headed to areas under control of the Turkish forces and their proxies in rural Aleppo.

Humanitarian catastrophe is continuing to deteriorate amid International Community’s inaction towards crimes by the Syrian regime and Russians against civilians in camps and those who are searching for a new safe haven.

Turkey, the “de-escalation” guarantor, has had enough with mere publicity that polishes it as being an actor sympathetic towards the humanitarian catastrophe. Meanwhile, the Turkish border guard forces “Jandarma” continue to target and kill the Syrians who try to infiltrate into the Turkish territory.

As displacement waves are growing, the number of people who have been displaced from the southern and south-eastern countryside of Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo during the period between the 1st of December 2019 and today the 28th of January 2020, rose to nearly 505,000 civilians.