Looming humanitarian crisis: hundreds of thousands of displaced people are not able to return to areas captured by regime forces since April 2019

As Holy Ramadan begins, hundreds of thousands of displaced people who have been forced to flee the Russian and regime military operations in their areas are still living in an inhumane situation, despite all Turkey’s pledges to enable the displaced people to return to their areas under protection of Russian military police and Turkey’s supervision.

A significant number of displaced people managed to return from Aleppo to Idlib, after reopening Deir Ballut crossing by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham. However, the residents of more than 350 cities, towns and villages in Idlib, Hama and Aleppo, captured by regime forces between April 2019 and February 2020, cannot return to their home. They are still scattered as some of them stay in the open and agricultural land, some others are in makeshift camps, while many others decamped to areas under control of Turkish-backed factions in northern and north-western Aleppo.

As always, Turkey’s promises remain unfulfilled, while the international community seems satisfied with mere condemnations and press releases.