According to the latest figures, more than 40,000 people have been evacuated from Aleppo. While some of the evacuees settled in the houses of their relatives, others are still seeking safe haven, especially in Idlib.
On December 21, I crossed into Syria to cover the latest works of Turkish non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for the Aleppo evacuees. The Turkish Red Crescent and other NGOs are working around the clock to set up tent camps in rural Idlib.
The weather was freezing in Idlib as I was with the Turkish Red Crescent staff. Even under harsh winter conditions, self-sacrificing mission is underway for the evacuees. In the field that I visited, thousands of people are expected to be settled in.
Even though Turkey works towards a better life for Aleppo evacuees, their misery is unlikely to end in Idlib, where they are supposed to be relatively safer. The brutal Bashar Assad regime, which is due to take full control of Aleppo following the completion of evacuations, is likely to launch an offensive on Idlib as well.
Knowing that the world kept silent over the bloody massacre in Aleppo for a long time, there is no guarantee that Aleppo evacuees who sought safe haven in Idlib will be secure. Heavy Russian and regime airstrikes that Aleppo witnessed could unfortunately recur in Idlib.
Apart from the security concerns of Aleppo evacuees, I met with many families in rural Idlib who had no heating stoves, beds and blankets. Happy to see Turkish NGOs arriving to provide humanitarian aid, people from Aleppo appealed to the world for help.
The United Nations, which has always failed to look after and protect innocent civilians, is late for the Aleppo evacuation as well. Tens of thousands of Aleppo evacuees could have been left out in the cold if it was not for Turkish NGOs and other charity organizations.
Witnessing the misery of dozens of people in rural Idlib with the air temperature around minus 15 was heart breaking. Some children were bare footed and did not have enough clothes to keep themselves warm.
The international community has so far failed to give an ear to the outcry of the Syrian people and turned a blind eye to the atrocities of the Assad regime time after time. However, there is still a chance for them to lend a helping hand to those in need in and around Idlib.
Diplomacy will play a crucial role at this moment as well. Turkey’s efforts on the table could prevent a new massacre from taking place in Idlib. Ankara’s trilateral talks with the Kremlin and Tehran could pave the way for a relatively more secure environment for those seeking safe haven in different parts of the country.
For Syrians, only time can tell if this is no more than wishful thinking!
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Yunus Paksoy is the chief reporter of the Istanbul-based Turkish newspaper DAILY SABAH. Paksoy has covered Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria and the Mosul Operation in Iraq and focuses on developments in Syria, the Middle East and Turkey’s southeast.
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