Against the background of the escalating conflict in northwestern Syria, the UN has asked the Turkish government to accept more refugees from the civil war country. The head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, today appealed to Turkey and other neighboring countries in Syria to provide security for the „most vulnerable“ refugees.
With the support of Russia, the Syrian army has been taking action against Islamist and jihadist militias in the region since December. The Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad wants to bring the last militia stronghold back under his control. Turkey is on the side of Assad’s opponents.
Hundreds of thousands have fled since December
According to the UN, around 900,000 people have left the contested area since the beginning of December – the largest refugee movement since the beginning of the war in 2011. According to its own information, Turkey has so far accepted 3.6 million Syrian refugees, but refuses to admit more.
Most people fled to areas in the Syrian provinces of Idlib and Aleppo. The humanitarian situation there is often devastating due to the freezing temperatures. According to Grandi, 80 percent of the displaced are women and children. According to Grandi, the UNHCR has material and supplies in the region for up to 2.1 million people, including tents for 400,000 refugees. However, there are an estimated four million civilians in the region.
