The United Nations has called on all parties to the conflict de-escalate the situation in Idlib province which has been subjected to relentless onslaught by the Assad regime and Russian forces. It called for recommitment to the ceasefire after the Assad regime and Russian assault escalated in the ‘de-escalation zone’ in northwestern Syria.
“The UN calls on all parties to the conflict to de-escalate the situation in the north-west part of Syria and to recommit to the ceasefire arrangement memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and the Russian Federation on 17 September 2018,” said Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General.
“Over the weekend, hostilities continued to impact civilians in the northwest part of the country, across Idleb, northern Hama and western Aleppo governorates,” Dujarric told a news conference on Monday. He said that fifteen people, including four children, were reportedly killed.
“In Idleb alone, displaced people have sought shelter in more than 100 schools. Camps for the displaced people are already overcrowded, with hundreds of thousands of people forced to stay out in the open air, outside camps and reception centers.”
Dujarric went on: “Nearly four months ago, there have been nearly 575,000 individual displacement movements. Many people have been displaced up to five times, while some have been displaced as up to 10 times already.
“As the new school year is scheduled to begin soon, access to education will be compromised for many children.”
Last week, civic, political and craftsmen bodies in Idlib province called on the UN Security Council and the United Nations to take swift action to stop attacks on the civilian population, healthcare facilities, schools, public markets and civilian homes. The bodies said that a genocide and all types of war crime are taking place in Idlib.
Meanwhile, the Syrian National Coalition said that the Assad regime and Russian attacks on vital civilian centers are not random, but deliberate and aimed forcing civilians to surrender or flee their homes. It stressed that these attacked constitute war crimes under the international law and international humanitarian law.
The province of Idlib and rural Hama have been subjected to ruthless bombing campaign by the Assad regime and Russian forces since late April. Bombardment and shelling have intensified recently, targeting mainly residential neighborhoods and public facilities, schools, and medical centers. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
