Syria: Why is the world indifferent to Idlib?
The UN is sounding the alarm for civilians as battle for rebel-stronghold rages.
On Thursday, February 27 at 19:30 GMT:
The United Nations has warned the world is facing the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century as the forces of President Bashar al-Assad close in on Syria’s last opposition stronghold, forcing more than one million people to flee into an ever shrinking space at the closed and fortified border with Turkey.
The battle for Idlib has caused the biggest displacement of people so far in Syria’s nine-year civil war and more than half of the million people now living in tents and out in the open in freezing temperatures are children, according to the UN.
Assad’s key ally Russia controls the airspace over Idlib and has been bombing Turkey-backed rebels in support of a months-long offensive by government forces. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has given Syrian government forces until the end of February to halt their offensive or Turkish forces will defend Idlib city.
The UN, using notably strong language, has said that a “bloodbath for civilians” is imminent if a ceasefire cannot be agreed.
On this episode of The Stream, we ask why Idlib is not getting more attention from the world’s media and governments, and whether anything can be done to spare the civilians trapped between the warring sides.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Hashem Ahelbarra, @hashemahel
Senior Correspondent at Al Jazeera English
aljazeera.com
Jasmine El-Gamal, @jasmineelgamal
Senior fellow at Atlantic Council
atlanticcouncil.org
Mays Nawayseh, @WorldVisionSR
Protection and gender technical adviser at World Vision Syria Response
wvi.org
Dr. Zaher Sahloul, @sahloul
Doctor
medglobal.org
Read more:
Syria’s war: Battle for Idlib – Al Jazeera
Syria’s Idlib sees ghost towns as hundreds of thousands flee – Al Jazeera
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