A/HRC/39/65
at the time, more than 1,000 families sought shelter in abandoned schools, local council
buildings or in the homes of others, all of which were overcrowded and lacked sufficient
facilities to meet their needs.
85.
Overall, an estimated 270,000 individuals fled clashes towards the southern border,
and up to 60,000 currently live in extremely harsh conditions (see para. 12 above). One
man stated that the situation on the border was “indescribable”, and recalled how five
children had perished on 29 June either due to heatstroke or after having been stung by
scorpions. At the time of writing, the Governments of both Jordan and Israel maintain
closed borders. Some 164,000 more internally displaced persons have relocated to camps in
Quneitra governorate. One witness emphasized that thousands of civilians intentionally
avoided seeking refuge in government-held areas for fear of forced conscription or
detention.
Idlib governorate
86.
More than half of the 2.5 million people residing in Idlib have been displaced since
the onset of conflict, often multiple times. During the period under review alone, more than
500,000 civilians had been displaced to and within Idlib. Beginning in April, many of the
80,000 Syrian men, women and children predominantly from eastern Ghouta, 27 rural
Northern Homs (see paras. 73–76 above). and Yarmouk camp in Damascus (para. 79) were
forcibly displaced to Idlib following the conclusions of the “evacuation agreements”.
Living conditions in severely overcrowded areas were further strained by the new influx,
with those displaced often left to fend for themselves, without the bare necessities required
for survival.
87.
Those displaced to makeshift camps in rural areas throughout Idlib have been
particularly vulnerable. Exposure to heavy rains and floods at the beginning of the year
distressed affected communities, most of whom are forced to live without potable water and
other basic necessities, such as fuel and blankets. The delivery of medical services has been
limited; some doctors, working alone and without basic medical supplies, treat as many as
200 patients a day. Educational opportunities for children in camps are largely unavailable.
88.
Overwhelmed by the sheer number of displaced persons, aid organizations in Idlib
reported enormous difficulties in conducting their operations. The largest number of
persons displaced since the onset of the conflict has coincided with a shortage of
international funding, making it impossible for aid teams to deliver basic life-saving aid,
despite their full access to certain areas. Indiscriminate attacks against communities of
internally displaced persons make aid operations even more difficult.
89.
In northern Idlib, for example, the Atma cluster of camps for internally displaced
persons was attacked on 6 February. At approximately 10 a.m., one mortar hit Al-Bayan
camp, while two others struck Al-Jazeera camp. A girl displaced from Raqqah in 2017 was
killed, and at least seven other displaced persons were wounded, including the father of the
girl, another 17-year-old girl, a 6-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. Several witnesses
pointed out that the shelling had originated from the Deir Ballut area, at the time under the
control of YPG, which committed the war crime of launching indiscriminate attacks against
Al-Bayan and Al-Jazeera camps, and further seriously contravened the right to life, liberty
and security of person.
V. Housing, land and property rights
90.
While challenges to the protection of housing, land and property rights of
individuals and communities throughout the Syrian Arab Republic were exacerbated during
the period under review by the battles described elsewhere in the present report, such
challenges actually predate the current conflict. These challenges include lack of accurate
inheritance and property transaction records in the cadastre, varying degrees of acceptance
27
16
Ibid., paras. 68–70.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents