Red Cross ‘deeply alarmed’ at situation in Idlib

GENEVA

The Red Cross on Tuesday said it is "deeply alarmed" by the rapidly deteriorating security and living conditions of hundreds of thousands of newly displaced civilians in Idlib, northwestern Syria.

Ruth Hetherington, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said at a UN briefing that those displaced "are running out of options to find basic safety for themselves and their families."

Adding to growing international concerns about the tragedy unfurling for civilians in northwestern Syria, she said: "This is the worst wave of displacement we've seen during the Syrian conflict."

"Amid the harsh winter conditions in Idlib, we see people trapped, isolated, and running out of ways to cope. It's completely unacceptable," said Hetherington.

She said deteriorating access to medical care and essential supplies for civilians in Idlib creates life-threatening situations that have already led to preventable deaths.

"Reduced access to health care, poor living conditions, and difficulties moving locations are among the major humanitarian consequences of the Idlib hostilities," said Hetherington.

With the ongoing fighting and shifting frontlines, access for humanitarian workers and volunteers is challenging and risky, the ICRC said.

Hetherington quoted Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC's Geneva-based director for the Near and Middle East, as saying: "We urge the parties involved to allow civilians to move to safety, either within the areas they control or across the front lines."

"The daily reality of cold, wet, and snowy weather is compounding the conditions that create serious harm," said Hetherington.

"If civilians must flee for safety reasons, all possible measures must be taken to ensure that members of the same family are not separated and that everyone is relocated under satisfactory conditions of shelter, hygiene, health, safety, and nutrition," she said.

Idlib, near Turkey's southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to about 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib, and for the cease-fire to be followed, inviting the international community to take action.