In these days we are witnessing the umpteenth and most serious crisis of the Syrian war in the northern province of Idlib. We are in contact with people, activists and civil society representatives who are living there in a desperate situation and from them we received this appeal which we invite you to download and make known. We have already delivered it to the German government in the past week and now we ask you to present it to the groups and associations you know and to let us know about eventual adhesions and mobilizations at the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
We hold these people in our hearts while we are thinking together about how to act now.
We, the civilians of Idlib governorate, Syria, , ask you to make our voice heard!
Help stopping this destructive war on us!
Help us stay in our homes!
As you read this message, 21 families have left their homes as a result of the attacks on civilians by the Russians and regime forces backed by the Iranian militia. These families haven’t not found even tents to house them!!
The wounded refuse to leave hospitals after treatment because they have no place to go to, not even a tent!
A breast cancer patient has discontinued her treatment to buy bread for her children and her family.
This is not fiction! These are true stories of real people living in Idlib that are not far from you, this is happening today, not in the Middle Ages! There are many more stories that the pages aren’t enough to contain.
Statistics of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs show that, as a result of the attack by the Syrian government forces backed by Russian warplanes, more than 800,000 people have been displaced in north-western Syria from December 2019 to February 9, 2020, including half a million children who were displaced with their families. Statistics show that during the past four days (9-12) February, 142,000 people were displaced in north-western Syria. That is, during the past four days, 1,290 displaced families per hour or 21 displaced families per minute.
As an example, Idlib city holds more than 1,100,000 people who are afraid of Russian and Syrian warplanes bombing and the advancement of the Syrian regime towards the city as they will be forced to flee towards the Syrian-Turkish border and this will create a humanitarian disaster. The situation is similar in the cities of other regions.
The humanitarian situation is very critical due to military operations, harsh winter conditions, and the aggravation of needs. Despite the bad situation, there was a severe failing in the international humanitarian response to this catastrophe, despite the fact that during these days the temperature reached 6 degrees below zero and the displaced people were without shelter or heating. Recently the operating organisations reported cases of child deaths due to the freezing cold and cases of deaths by suffocation as a result of inhaling toxic gases emitted from burning materials that are not suitable for heating.
People are displaced from their areas not only because of the military operations, but because they refuse to return to the authority of Assad. You will find among the displaced people someone who pulled the door of his house, someone who burned his house with his hands and another who carried the tombstones of his loved ones with him after he saw the regime's soldiers tampering the graves in an area called Khan Al-Sabil in the Idlib governorate, as he feared for his dead relatives from the regime solders’ hatred.
The people prefer to live in tents and in the open, rather than return to the Assad regime,
and if they cannot, everyone will think about migrating away from this country to secure for their children everything they couldn’t have, to find homes to shelter themselves from the cold winter and the burning summer, to find schools and universities for their children’s education and to find a free and dignified life in which no tyranny, no killing, no arrest and no Assad family.
Many civilians in Idlib feel happy with every convoy of the Turkish army entering their areas to protect them from the criminality of the Assad regime's forces. The displaced are migrating towards areas near the Turkish border, which may be safe. However, the regime has bombed the border camps in Sarmada, near the Turkish border.
In education sector, the educational process has been almost stopped since the beginning of January due to displacement and closure of schools as a result of the fear of airplanes bombings.
In health sector, statistics of the Idlib Governorate Health Directorate and medical organizations operating in the region indicate that more than 53 health facilities have been suspended due to direct attacks.
The presence of displaced people in places that are not well equipped and lack adequate health care facilities makes them more vulnerable to the spread of diseases and epidemics.
We need to raise our voice in the Security Council to stop this war.
We need immediate support to protect children, women and all displaced people from death, cold, starvation or disease.
We need to raise our voice in the Security Council to stop this war.
We need immediate support to protect children, women and all displaced people from death, cold, starvation or disease.
Signatories:
Ghassan Hamra, head of the local council of Idlib governorate
Atef Zureik, head of the Political Commission of Idlib governorate
Raeifa Samie, member of the Constitutional Committee
Nada Aswad, member of the Women’s Advisory Board to the UN special envoy to
Syria
Sawsan Al-Saeed, member of the board of Glimpse of Hope organization in Idlib city
Munther Khalil, director of Idleb Health directorate
Yasser Al-Sayed, director of Syrian rehabilitation center
Mahmoud Aswad, executive director of Doctors and lawyers for Human Rights
Ali Al-Zeer, Executive Director of Elaf organization
Muheib Qaddour, director of Aqrabat hospital
Qutaiba Sayed Issa, executive director of Violet organization
Raed Al-Saleh, director of Syrian Civil Defense
Aisha Qassas, Program Manager at UOSSM
Yassin Al-Yassin, former director of Idleb Education directorate
Osama Al-Hussein, director of starting point organization
Ahmed Moubayed, civil activist
OPERAZIONE COLOMBA
