TOPSHOT - CORRECTION - Syrians gather during a symbolic protest in the city of Harem in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib on the border with Turkey on February 2, 2020. - Hundreds of Syrian men, women and children marched towards the frontier demanding to be allowed through in a symbolic protest, an AFP correspondent said. Near the Syrian border town of Harem, women lugged bags and men carried small children towards the razor-wired wall blocking the way to Turkey, he said. "From Idlib to Berlin," read one banner, referring to the German capital many Syrians dream of reaching as they escape the war. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by AAREF WATAD has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [February 2, 2020] instead of [January 2, 2020]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.
The recent clashes between the Syrian government and the rebels lead to the displacement of more than half a million people in two months according to the United Nations on Tuesday.
“Since 1 December, some 520,000 people have been displaced from their homes, the vast majority; 80 percent, of them women and children,” David Swanson, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said.
The wave of displacement, which coincides with a biting winter, is one of the largest since the start of the Syrian war nearly nine years ago.
“This latest displacement compounds an already dire humanitarian situation on the ground, when over 400,000 people were displaced from the end of April through the end of August, many of them multiple times,” Swanson said.
He said the UN was alarmed by the plight of more than three million people, half of them displaced from their homes, who live in Idlib province and surrounding areas.
Government troops and other allied forces have in recent weeks increased the pressure on the last area still controlled by rebels and jihadists.
They have retaken dozens of villages and some major towns, including the erstwhile rebel bastion of Maaret al-Numan, and are pushing northwards, sending displaced populations ever closer to the Turkish border.
