Over 850,000 Syrians have been displaced from northern Syria since February

Over 850,000 Syrians have been displaced from northern Syria since February
August 22, 2019, 11:01 am

Syria response coordinators group in northern Syria declared that the number of displaced people from northern Syria since the beginning of the military campaign launched by the regime and Russia against Idlib and Hama since February 2 has reached 853,416 IDPs, among 131354 families, describing it to be the biggest wave of displacement since the protests began in 2011.

The group documented 126,417 displaced people from 11 to 14 August, among 19,231 families, from the south of Idlib, where the regime forces advanced under Russian air cover.

Syria response coordinators group noted on Friday that “more than 1,291 civilians have been killed in the region” as a result of “systematic shelling” by the Syrian regime forces and Russia, since the signing of the Sochi Agreement in September 2018 to this day.

In more details, the team has so far documented three military campaigns in the area: the first was in October 2018, during which 37,245 people were displaced, and the second military campaign: in December 2018, 41,367 people were displaced.

The third military campaign was in February 2019, during which 34,726 families (216,348 people) were displaced. Field teams from the Syria Response Coordinators group are still counting the number of displaced people from the area, who have been distributed in more than 35 districts in the Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and northwestern Syria regions.

A previous statement by Syria response coordinators group pointed out that the targeting of facilities and infrastructure in areas of north-western Syria, which are already fragilized by the lack of resources and support, is a war crime whose perpetrators must be held accountable.

The statement pointed out that the relentless pursuit by the Russian party that supports the regime forces, to empty the region of the civilian population, classifies as crimes of forced displacement by the regime forces since the beginning of 2015 until now.

Appeal to international actors… OHCHR priorities

The response coordinators group called on the international community to “reformulate the concept of terrorist crimes and determine who is responsible for them”, stressing that those responsible in this case are “the Syrian regime and its ally Russia and their foreign militias”, appealing to the United Nations and the international community to “shoulder their responsibility towards civilians Northwest Syria”.

They also called on all humanitarian actors and organizations to "expedite the urgent response to the displaced people in the areas where they settled," and called on all international agencies concerned with Syrian affairs, "to intervene directly to stop the acts of violence targeting civilians in Idlib and surrounding areas".

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) focused its concerns in 2019 on Syria on key priorities:

- Responding to the urgent and essential humanitarian needs of IDPs, refugee returnees and host communities; strengthening monitoring of returns and facilitating the maintenance of basic social services in areas of return.

-Strengthen operational capacity and respond to the protection and assistance needs of IDPs and host communities under the regular program.

-Participate in providing emergency and humanitarian assistance to the people concerned, as the lead organization in responding to internal displacement in life-saving sectors such as protection, community services, shelter, and non-food items.

-Provide protection and assistance to refugees and asylum seekers in Syria.

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