Europe faces ‘serious decision’ on refugees amid Idlib catastrophe

March 03, 2020

DW: In Idlib province, the Syrian army and its allies are no longer fighting alone — Turkey is now involved, too. What is the current situation?

Till Küster: The situation in Idlib has been a disaster for months and there have been warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe for months, too. For almost three days, Turkey has been attacking Syrian army posts, Hezbollah militias and Afghan fighters — mainly from the air.

These attacks have been intense. Increasingly, Syrian army planes are also being shot down. This is a development we haven’t seen these past nine years.

Read more: Idlib: ‘I’d rather suffer bombs than Assad’

Till Küster (Medico International)

Till Küster is Syria coordinator with Medico International

What does that mean for the civilian population?

Fear and panic were rife among the civilian population for weeks as the Syrian army moved ever closer to the megacity of Idlib. About 1 million people were forced to flee. These past days, parts of this area have been recaptured by Turkish forces. That has stopped the advance of the Syrian army. Nevertheless, not much has changed for the civilians. Now they are caught between several fronts and are trying to flee toward the region in northern Syria that Turkey has annexed in violation of international law.

Turkish soldiers behind barbed wire in Idlib (AFP/H. Kadour)

Turkish forces have been supporting rebels in Idlib

What is the humanitarian situation like there?

It is disastrous because it is almost impossible to provide for all these people who showed up within a very short time. Many people have no money at all. At least 170,000 people are currently camping outdoors— sometimes in sub-zero temperatures. There are pictures of refugee families who froze to death, including many children who lost their lives to the cold.

Read more: What you need to know about the escalation in Syria’s Idlib

The situation on another border is heating up, too — the border between Turkey and Greece. Reportedly, shots were fired. What is the situation there?

Erdogan is playing a cynical game. In recent years, Turkey has repeatedly threatened not to stop refugees in Turkey but to send them on their way. Now we see pictures of buses taking refugees directly to the border with Greece or Bulgaria — not just Syrian refugees, by the way, but a lot of Afghan refugees, too. Turkey is, in fact, a transit country for almost 200,000 Afghan refugees headed to Europe. Of course, Erdogan is using the refugees for his own purposes, but at the same time, their desire to reach Europe is real.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing the EU’s border policies become more violent. Shots are fired, the Greek coast guard tries to ram rubber dinghies or passes by the boats at a short distance to frighten the passengers. These acts are all directly aimed against human rights and the Geneva Convention on Refugees.

Read more: Syria: Erdogan left out in the cold by Arab states in anti-Assad fight

Migrants at the Turkish-Greek border (picture-alliance/AP Photo/G. Papanikos)

Greek police have been preventing migrants from crossing the border from Turkey

Would you say the EU’s refugee policies are failing?

The EU faces a serious decision. For years, Europe has disregarded the situation of millions of people, thinking it possible to simply ignore their problems. If Erdogan makes good on his threat and allows a much greater number of refugees to cross the border into the EU, the question that has been pushed away for years will become much more urgent: Do we use weapons against the refugees, use tear gas, try to sink boats? Or will we finally find a political solution that respects the refugees’ human rights and their need for protection? That is the decision the EU faces.

What would need to happen now?

Europe’s policy of isolation has failed completely, also due to the fact that people didn’t want to or couldn’t resolve the situation in Syria. On the one hand, borders have been closed, but on the other, the Assad regime and Turkey have been given free rein. The result is now another mass exodus. It is not possible to close off borders and turn people away while at the same time ignoring the reasons for their escape over the years and even supplying weapons for a new war, for example to Turkey.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

On the run

Traffic is heavy on the roads heading north through the Idlib region toward the Turkish border. Soldiers of the Assad regime are advancing from the south and east, aided by their Russian and Iranian allies. Some Syrian rebel groups are supported by Turkey, which also has soldiers of its own in the region. But ordinary people just want to reach safety.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

‘Horror has multiplied’

Almost 1 million people have been displaced since December. According to UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock, “the horror has multiplied” in the past two weeks. The front lines are closing in, triggering large movements of people in the space of just a few days. Assad wants to drive the civilian population out of Idlib province, and is moving to capture this last rebel stronghold.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

Bombed to pieces

Maaret al-Numan and the surrounding area has been particularly badly hit by the attacks. The city has been bombed to pieces and is practically deserted. The important M5 highway runs through here, from Damascus via Aleppo to the Turkish border. Most of those fleeing are trying to make it to Turkey — but the border is closed.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

Waiting at the border

Around 100 people, including 35 children, died in bombings in the first half of February alone, according to the United Nations, which has spoken of the “blatant disregard for the life and safety of civilians.” This family fled to the Turkish border months ago. They’re living in the Kafr Lusin refugee camp, holding on to the hope that Turkey will eventually let them in.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

500,000 children in need

Out of the almost 1 million people who have fled it’s estimated that around half are children. Of the rest, the majority are women. There aren’t enough shacks at the Turkish border to house them all, and many refugees are living in tents. Camps are often set up in haste and are severely overcrowded. People are sleeping in doorways and on pieces of cardboard, sometimes in sub-zero temperatures.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

Little food and medicine

Those who have been able to find a tent usually share it with about a dozen family members. Medicine is running out in many of the camps, and basic food and clothing is also becoming scarce. Doctors on the ground report that many children are suffering from malnutrition, and some are even dying of starvation. The cold is also taking its toll, and some people have already frozen to death.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

Refuge in a school

Many children in the region can no longer go to school, so some school buildings have been repurposed. This school has been turned into a refugee shelter — sometimes, even the refugee camps are targeted in bombing raids.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

Trying to reach safety

The illegal route across the border to Turkey is costly; hardly anyone can afford it. Smugglers are charging people up to $2,000 (about €1,800). Those who do make the attempt are risking their lives: Turkish border guards have thermal imaging cameras to help them spot people trying to cross. Sometimes they shoot at refugees who try to climb over the wall.

Syria’s Idlib: A humanitarian disaster

Looking for dignity

The UN has said the situation in Idlib could be the greatest humanitarian disaster of the 21st century. No one knows whether or not there will be a ceasefire. The refugees don’t care who puts an end to the war; they just want a life of safety and dignity, for themselves and for their children. A four-way summit between Turkey, Russia, France and Germany, planned for March 5, is now in jeopardy.

Author: Diana Hodali