UN concern about the dire situation of civilians in Idlib

The United Nations has expressed its concern about the dire situation of civilians in Idlib governorate, as a result of the air strikes carried out by Russia and the forces of the Assad regime, and the outbreak of the Corona virus.

This came in a press conference held by the Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Farhan Haq, at the permanent headquarters of the international organization, in New York.

“We are concerned about the dire situation of civilians in northwestern Syria, as hostilities, the economic crisis and Corona have made the conditions of the vulnerable more difficult,” the spokesman said.

He added, “We received reports of hostilities throughout last September, with an intensification of air strikes along the front lines south of Idlib, and almost daily reports of violence.”

And he added: “We are also very concerned about the sudden rise in cases of coronavirus, as more than a thousand people have tested positive every day in northwest Syria.”

And he continued, “We noticed an increase of 170 percent, in the total number of positive cases of corona during the past month (September) alone.”

He explained that “the limited equipment for corona tests is a problem, in addition to the acute shortage of oxygen, only less than 3 percent of the population in the northwest of the country has been vaccinated.”

He added, “With 1.6 million people living in crowded camps, the spread of HIV infections will increase the burden of the already overburdened health system.”

And he added, “97 percent of the region’s population lives in extreme poverty, dependent on humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and other basic services.”

In May 2017, Turkey, Russia and Iran announced that they had reached an agreement to establish a “de-escalation zone” in Idlib, as part of the Astana meetings related to the Syrian issue.

However, the regime forces and their supporters attack the area from time to time, despite the ceasefire agreement signed on March 5, 2020.​

Source: Anatolia