+ A
A -
AFP
GENEVA
VIOLENCE in northwest Syria has displaced more than 38,500 people in less than two weeks amid increasing hostilities and a looming regime assault on the opposition-held Idlib province, the UN said on Thursday.
The UN, which has warned a full-fledged assault on Idlib could create the century's"worst humanitarian catastrophe", has created a plan to help up to 900,000 people who could flee the onslaught.
And an exodus has already begun.
During the first 12 days of September,"available information indicates that a sharp increase in hostilities and fears of further escalation has led to the displacement of over 38,500 people," the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) said.
That marks a hike of nearly 10,000 people from the figure provided by the UN on Monday. However, OCHA said that 4,500 of those who had fled since September 1 had"spontaneously returned" over the past three days amid a relative decrease in hostilities in western and southern rural parts of Idlib province.
It said most of those who left their homes had fled towards the north, towards the Turkish border.
Others chose to flee into agricultural lands near their original communities"with the hope that they will be able to quickly return ... should the hostilities stop," OCHA said.
The province and adjacent rural areas form the largest piece of territory still held by Syria's beleaguered rebels, worn down by a succession of government victories in recent months.
