02.10.2020

Jan Egeland on the Assad Regime’s Advances on Idlib

Yet another humanitarian horror is underway, as the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad tries to crush the last rebel-held territory in Idlib. It swelled to three million civilians, but half a million have already fled, according to the U.N., in one of the largest waves of displacement since the Syrian civil war began nine years ago. Jan Egeland joins the program to discuss the situation.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Just tell us, from your perspective and what you know, what is the current emergency? What are the facts and figures on the ground?

JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Well, it couldn’t have been worse, really. Three million civilians in a relatively small area, totally encircled by attacking armies and in close border to Turkey. So, Idlib is like no other place, really. This is the place where people fled through this long war, they came from other Lepel (ph), they come from parts of Syria that were under attack. It was supposed to be safer there. And now, this displaced community is under attack themselves. And I feel very strongly, really, how could it come to this? Where are the world’s diplomats, really? You shouldn’t have a war in what is essentially a gigantic refugee camp, women, children fleeing for their lives at the time being.

AMANPOUR: So, we understand, in fact, as you’re saying, women and children are the majority of those fleeing. As you say, there should not be a war in a refugee camp, it violates every single international norm, and where are the diplomats? Well, where are they? Where are the diplomats? Is anybody working on this at all? Is anybody exerting any influence to the Syrian regime?

EGELAND: Yes, there is a U.N. team of diplomats working very hard to avoid all of this. But I think the original sin in this conflict was really that the two sides in what was a civil war got two teams of international powers supporting them. There were too many bringing fuel to this fire and there were too few holding back these ruthless men with arms and guns. And now, you have the overwhelming superiority, militarily, of the Syrian government supported by Russia and Iran, and they are attacking this area, which is full of militants. But there are many, many more babies in Idlib than there are bad guys, if you like. This screams for all sorts of countries coming in and saying, we cannot have it, stop it, there needs to be a cease fire and talks and it needs to be talked and it needs to be an ending without a blood bath.

About This Episode EXPAND

Jan Egeland joins Christiane Amanpour to give an update on the situation in Syria as Bashar al-Assad’s regime tries to crush the last rebel-held territory in Idlib. Film critics A. O. Scott and Karen Han join Christiane to discuss “Parasite’s” historic win at the Oscars. Latif Nasser and Carol Rosenberg join Hari Sreenivasan to tell the story of Abdul Latif Nasir, detainee 244 at Guantanamo Bay.

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