Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) today warns that 100,000 people are trapped in a critical situation in the Azaz district of Aleppo governorate in northern Syria, caught between an active Islamic State group frontline, Kurdish-controlled territories and the Turkish border.
The border has been closed for the last year to all but the most seriously ill Syrians, and some humanitarian staff with special permits.
The resurgence of heavy fighting over the last week has led to more than 35,000 people fleeing displaced people camps taken over by the Islamic State group, or camps that are too close to frontlines. There are now more than 100,000 people gathered at border areas with Turkey, with active fighting just seven kilometres away.
The fighting has also led to several medical facilities shutting down as fighting draws close and medical staff flee. MSF’s 52-bed hospital in northern Azaz district, which has doubled its capacity since February, is still running – and is prioritising emergency care.
Nowhere safe to go
“Yet again we see tens of thousands of people forced to flee but with almost nowhere safe to go – trapped in this bloody, brutal conflict,” said Muskilda Zancada, MSF head of mission, Syria.
“Our medical teams are working under unimaginably difficult conditions and given the severity of the crisis we have decided to focus on emergency lifesaving interventions. In the last week we have seen nearly 700 patients in the Emergency Room, including 24 war-wounded.”
The hospital has also assisted with eight deliveries since 10 April, and MSF teams have so far distributed emergency relief items such as blankets and tarpaulins to more than 3,400 newly displaced people.
Cruel contradiction
MSF once again asks warring parties to respect civilians and health structures, "but given how this war has been conducted from the very beginning, including deliberate targeting of civilians, we are extremely worried about the protection of the population if the frontlines keep approaching," adds Muskilda Zancada.
MSF believes there is a cruel contradiction between the situation in northern Syria and the current priorities of the European Union with regard to Syrian refugees.
“It is unacceptable that the current efforts of the EU are focused on how to return Syrian refugees to Turkey, instead of on how to assure safety and protection for those amassing at the Syrian-Turkish border,” said Pablo Marco, operations manager for MSF in the Middle East.
MSF calls on the European Union and Turkey to work together to find a humane solution to this emergency, one which ensures the protection of people fleeing for their lives.
“The EU and Turkey have a long history as providers of safe havens, today more than ever we need to see that commitment to upholding people’s right to flee from this brutal war.”
MSF in northern Syria
MSF runs six medical facilities across northern Syria and supports more than 150 health centres and hospitals across the country, many of them in besieged areas.
