Over one million people displaced in Aleppo and Idlib as Russia and regime expand and intensify military operations. Turkey issues threats and amasses more troops and enforcement  

The recent victories of the Russian and Syrian forces came at the expense of civilians who have no interest in this conflict, as the latest military escalation launched by the Syrian regime forces in Idlib and Aleppo since the middle of last January led to the largest displacement, as about a million civilians were forced to flee their homes against the background of catastrophic humanitarian conditions due to the lack of the minimum requirements for life and the overcrowding of areas of displacement with civilians who chose to survive and flee the regime forces, as well as in light of the bad weather in the region.

With the massive displacements resulting from the military escalation in light of the continued progress of the regime forces with the support of the Russians, the number of IDPs from Idlib since the beginning of the ground offensive on January 24 has increased to about 380,000 Syrian civilians, while the number of IDPs from Aleppo and Idlib has increased since Mid-January to 575 thousand civilians, in light of the continued military operations by air and land; while the total number since the beginning of December increased to about one million and 5 thousand displaced people from Idlib and Aleppo.

The increase in the numbers of the displaced came with the expansion of the displacement area to include new areas after the regime forces opened new fronts, such as its attempt to advance in the northern and northwestern countryside of Aleppo, and besieged several areas such as Hurriyat, Andan, Yaqed Al-Adas, Kafr Hamra, Hayan, Bala, Basroun, Kafr Faa’il, Qabat al-Jabal and other areas there, in addition to the continued displacement from the western countryside of Aleppo.

According to SOHR eyewitnesses, a large number of IDPs live in the open within the areas of the northern Idlib countryside on the Syrian border with Iskenderun region (Hatay) , and in the northern countryside of Aleppo countryside controlled by the “Turkish forces” and the factions loyal to them, as a result of their displacement due to the military operations, in light of the total inability by humanitarian organizations to contain and assist the huge numbers of displaced people. As a result, hundreds of thousands of displaced people from Damascus, Homs, Hama, the Syrian south, Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib are now trapped within the Sarmada and Dana regions, the second largest residential area in Idlib after Idlib city, where they face unknown fate due to the Russia-Turkish agreements, as the escalating military operations west of Aleppo countryside adjacent to those areas forced citizens leave immediately while others are awaiting deportation for the tenth time.

Reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that “everyone is now concerned only with searching for a place to take shelter in order to escape the bitter cold and the military operations of the regime, and no one ever thinks about the high prices of the dollar or other matters that previously occupied them” Indeed, due to the Russian-Turkish agreements and military operations of the regime, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are waiting for an unknown fate within a small geographical spot.

To make matters worse, this winter’s bad weather conditions compounded the plight of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, as the catastrophic conditions in which the displaced people live are also among the factors that claim the lives of Syrians, as a father, mother and their two children were killed by suffocation inside their tent in the “Dia 3” camp near the town of “Kali” in Idlib countryside, due to the poor heating method used. According to the information obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, “the family of Muhammad Hamadeh, his wife Amoun Al-Saleem and his two children (Hoda and Hour), all of whom were displaced from (Kafr Roma) in southern Idlib countryside, died of suffocation after burning coal in an old fireplace in their tent that they received, because they couldn’t buy a fireplace”. Eyewitness sources said: “The fireplace was outside the tent during the night, but because of the severe cold, they entered it, so the four family members got suffocated inside the tent, a small place that had very little oxygen already. The family’s neighbors found their family after they suffocated. After their transfer to nearby medical points, it became clear that the cause of death was the gas from the heater. At the same time, a child died in the Afrin Hospital as a result of the tragic situation in which the displaced people live, where sources told the “Syrian Observatory” that “The father of the child brought her to Afrin Hospital thinking that she was suffering from a minor illness, as he walked out of his tent at 5 am and carried her for two hours in the bitter cold on the road, and when he arrived at the hospital, his daughter had died of frost, due to the fact that her father does not have any means of transportation”. Also, the Sarmada road starting from the western and southwestern countryside of Aleppo is very crowded due to the influx of the displaced, in light of the bad weather conditions in the area and the fact that temperature dropped to about zero.

Not only do the displaced suffer from the ravages of fighting and bad weather, but also the organizations that are supposed to work to help them only serve their personal interests, as the HTS-backed “Rescue Government” works to impose taxes and levies on humanitarian organizations in Idlib, by virtue of being dominant and influential. In light of the organizations’ need to continue its work, it falls under the authority of corruption in local councils as these organizations try to confront the tragedy of nearly 4 million citizens who live in very dire conditions. Dozens of organizations, if not hundreds, work in the areas of influence of the HTS, including global, emerging and intermediary organizations, where they engage in various health, relief and educational fields, but they only meet the needs of 10% of citizens, due to the widespread patronage and corruption, starting with local councils appointed by the “Rescue Government”.

Sources indicated to the Syrian Observatory that one of the organizations had not achieved its goal of supporting livestock, because it relied on forged documents. Local councils are working to put false names in their data to benefit members of the councils and workers with the Rescue Government. Most of those who benefit from this support are loyal to the HTS and jihadi organizations and loyal to the regime. As for the “government” institutions that tend to conclude huge deals with organizations, the “Rescue Government” gives them only two options. Either the acceptance that guarantees the continuation of the organization’s work in exchange fo handing over a large share of allocated resources, or rejection and thus depriving citizens of their full right to the support allocated.

With the worsening mass displacement and humanitarian crisis of Syrian civilians, the reaction of the international community is somewhat muted and does not match the gravity of the situation. While Turkey, “the guarantor”, is satisfied with the media statements and threats without actually  doing anything to alter the situation on the ground, even though it has brought  to Syria more than 7,000 Turkish soldiers and more than 2,000 trucks and military vehicles since the beginning of February. While ironically and tragically some of the displaced Syrians have been killed by Turkish gendarmes while trying to cross into Turkish territory to escape the regime’s brutal assaults and Russian airstrikes. In light of the breach of promises by the Turkish and Russian ‘guarantors’  regarding the “de-escalation” region, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights calls on the international community to put pressure on both sides to not burden civilians with their military operations and protect them from the catastrophic conditions resulting from their military intervention in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also calls on the international organizations to intervene to save the Syrians from the scourge of displacement and the repercussions that the next stage may bring about, and to put in a place a robust mechanism to stop the rampant corruption that plagues humanitarian organizations and missions and control and ensure that aid is distributed fairly to those who need.