At a time of military escalation between Turkey and Syrian government forces, on Thursday 6 February, the European Union called for a cessation of hostilities in north-west Syria and the opening of a humanitarian corridor in Idleb province, the last stronghold of Syrian rebels where the humanitarian situation is catastrophic.
“Bombings and other attacks on civilians in north-west Syria must stop. The European Union urges all parties to the conflict to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to people in need of assistance and to respect the rules and obligations of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians”, said High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, in a joint statement.
Both deplore the fact that, since the intensification of the fighting, “hundreds of civilians” have been killed and that “more than 500,000 people who have had to flee their homes in the last two months alone” are destitute.
They state that “attacks continue to include civilians targets in densely populated areas, medical facilities and settlements for internally displaced people” and that “the extraordinary human suffering endured by the civilian population in north-west Syria is unacceptable”.
On behalf of the EU, they recall that “there is no military solution to the conflict” and that “the only path to stability is a credible and inclusive UN-facilitated political solution pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015)”.
The EU assures that it will continue to provide humanitarian aid for as long as necessary. Since the beginning of the conflict, the EU and its Member States have mobilized 17 billion euros for vulnerable populations in Syria and neighbouring countries. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)