Russian bombardment forces Syrians to build new camps as winter arrives

The Russian bombardment has forced Syrians to establish new refugee camps to accommodate the recent evacuation of people from areas under Russian fire. This is in addition to the existing camps that have been set up over the course of the last four years to house those fleeing from the Syrian regime

The newly displaced Syrians, estimated to be in the tens of thousands, set up their camps with the support of foreign donors and the help of local teams of volunteers in the countryside of Idlib province adjacent to the Syrian-Turkish border.

Citizens arriving from areas surrounding the cities of Hama and Aleppo, and rural areas in South Idlib represent the majority of the newly displaced people. These areas are currently witnessing violent clashes between opposition factions and regime forces backed by Russian air cover.

Anadolu agency reported that the newly built camps lack many of the most basic necessities for life, including water, electricity, schools and, in many cases, with more than one family sharing the same tent. Despite such conditions, Anadolu’s correspondent in the area said that many of the displaced Syrians expressed their relief at having secured a tent while many thousands of others have been left with no shelter at all for the coming winter.

Abu Ali Al-Adalbi, the head of a volunteer team in the Sarmada area of Idlib province, told Anadolu that they had to hastily establish camps northern Syria in order to accommodate families fleeing from the intensive Russian bombardment, which targets civilians indiscriminately.

Al-Adalbi stressed that the Russian bombardment has doubled the suffering of Syrian civilians, pointing out that if it continues the way it is, the number of those displaced will be doubled with the onset of winter and the start of the rainy season.

For his part, Abu Omar, one of those displaced from the Hama countryside, said that Russian air strikes forced them to flee their homes without being able to bring along any personal belongings or any of their household items. Abu Omar pointed out that there are thousands of displaced people who do not have access to the camps and who sleep on farmland with no tents available for sheltering them.

The Syrian crisis entered a new phase following Russia’s air involvement since the beginning of September. Moscow claims its intervention exclusively targets Daesh presence in Syria, despite the fact that Syrian opposition forces say that more than 90 per cent of Russian strikes are in Daesh-free areas.

People carry injured people after Russian air strikes hit the Sukeri region of Aleppo, Syria on November 08, 2015. Images by Anadolu Agency.