More than 30,000 people have reportedly been displaced within Idlib, a northwestern territory in Syria believed to be the last rebel stronghold, as government troops under President Bashar al-Assad and allied forces continued its ground and air bombardment operations last week, a United Nations official revealed.
Mortar and rocket attacks from the Syrian forces increased since Friday in the northern part of Hama and southern Idlib rural areas, a report from ABC News said. As a direct result of this recent assault, David Swanson, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that as of Sunday, there were already 30,542 people being displaced from the aforementioned Syrian city and are now making their way to the different areas across the Idlib province.
The OCHA report indicated that 47 percent of those who were displaced from their homes are now living in camps, 29 percent are seeking shelter with families living in unaffected areas, 14 percent settling in informal camps, while the remaining 10 percent are renting accommodation.
The information from the UN humanitarian office was further corroborated by the statement reportedly made by a rebel leader holding the area in northern Hama, Reuters said. According to Abu al-Baraa al-Hamawi, almost 95 percent of the people had already abandoned their villages in Hama province and in the southern parts of Idlib province over the past three days due to intensive air strikes.
There are approximately close to 3 million people living in the opposition-held area and its adjacent provinces such as Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo. Half of that total number was already displaced to some other parts of the country.
OCHA head officer Mark Lowcock said during a press briefing in Geneva and was quoted over by the news outlet about the impending risk involved in the recent Syrian offensive which, as he said, could result to a major evacuation of civilians moving in multiple directions across and even beyond Syria.
Lowcock further warned about the possibility that this could become the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe to happen in the 21st century if the Idlib crisis won't be dealt with immediately.
Idlib - A Rebel Stronghold
According to Arab News, Idlib has been a cradle of rebel movements particularly those of anti-regime forces made up of secular fighters, radicals, and terrorists with alleged ties to Al-Qaeda. Opposition forces currently controlling the province said that they will hold on to their ground and fight against the Assad regime until their last breath.
