The UN denounces the attack on camps for displaced people in Syria and warns against a “new uptick” in fighting

Nov. 8 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations has shown on Tuesday its “serious concern” over the recent bombings and artillery attacks against camps for internally displaced persons in the Syrian province of Idlib (northwest), which resulted in at least seven civilians dead and about 30 wounded.

Jeremy Laurence, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has indicated that there are “worrying signs of a new upsurge in hostilities” in this area of ​​the country and has indicated that among the deceased there are four children.

“The uptick in fighting and return to violence is cause for alarm. As in previous escalations, civilians are the ones paying an unacceptable price in terms of loss of life, reduced access to basic services, destruction of essential infrastructure and exposure to new displacements,” he denounced. Thus, he has highlighted that this situation “is exacerbated by the harsh weather conditions, the poor humanitarian and economic situation and an outbreak of cholera in the area.”

The fighting since October, involving various parties, including the Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) jihadist coalition and armed groups affiliated with Turkey, has raised alarms about a possible expansion of hostilities, including towards the city of Idlib, capital of the province.

The UN has highlighted that these concerns “materialized” on November 6, when pro-government forces carried out attacks on several areas of the province, including various camps for displaced people. Among the facilities affected is the Maram camp, which has a large number of displaced people.

The attacks have caused the displacement of 400 families, for which Laurence has maintained that “it is essential that the parties to the conflict strictly comply with their obligations under Humanitarian Law when it comes to avoiding reaching the civilian population and civilian objects during the hostilities”.

“They must take all possible precautions to avoid, or at least minimize, the loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects,” said the agency’s spokesman, who has stressed that this issue “is not negotiable “.

For this reason, Laurence has emphasized that “the fact that several densely populated displacement camps were hit during attacks that appear to have been carried out without taking into account their lethal impact on civilians is a matter of great concern.”

“We stress to all parties to the conflict that indiscriminate attacks are prohibited by Humanitarian Law and that, depending on the circumstances, could amount to war crimes,” the spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has settled.

Idlib province and parts of Aleppo and Hama are in the hands of several armed groups, the most important of which is HTS. Syria’s government, backed by Moscow, has argued that the offensive is part of its fight against terrorism in the country.