Residents sceptical of new ceasefire in Syria
IDLIB: A new ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey took hold on Friday in northwestern Syria, but after years of failed truces residents like Fadi say they are not holding their breath.
The deal intends to stop a deadly Moscowbacked regime offensive since December against the country’s last major rebel bastion of Idlib, which has displaced almost a million people from their homes and shelters.
“The regime and Russia always play this game,” said 26-year-old Fadi, who has been displaced from second city Aleppo and now lives in Idlib.
“They gain control over new areas and then they agree on a truce, then months later they start a huge military operation all over again and take some more.” Damascus forces have clawed back a sizeable chunk of Idlib province from militants and allied rebels in the past years, in bursts of fighting punctuated by failed truces.
In the latest assault, Russian and regime strikes have killed almost 500 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
“How am I supposed to believe in this ceasefire?” asked Fadi.
The government has retaken large swathes of Syria with help from its Russian ally since 2015, through a combination of deadly military assaults and Russian-brokered surrender deals.
The Idlib bastion, one of the last regions to hold out on the Turkish border, is dominated by
Syria’s former Al Qaeda affiliate but Turkey-backed rebels are also present.
Many among the region’s three million residents - half of whom fled from other parts of Syria - have little faith in promises made by Damascus or Moscow.
Abu Saeed, his wife and little boy, came to live in Idlib after fleeing the Damascus suburbs, back under government control since 2018.
“I’m not optimistic about this deal, and I don’t expect anything from it,” said the 24-year-old.
He insisted Russia and the regime have a bad track record when it comes to sticking to ceasefire deals. “We may well see a new offensive. And then we will all close up shop and leave the country.” Syria’s civil war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions both at home and abroad since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests.
In an interview with Russian television aired on Thursday, President Bashar Al Assad said retaking control of Idlib was a “priority.”
Among the nearly one million people displaced in northwest Syria since December according to the United Nations, many have fled northwards towards the closed Turkish border. Turkey already host 3.6 million Syrian refugees, and is reluctant to let any more in.