Syria: Nearly 140,000 displaced by fighting in north-west

Nearly 140,000 people have been displaced since February by fighting in northwestern Syria, where the regime of Bashar al-Assad but also its Russian ally pound a jihadist stronghold, announced Wednesday the UN.

By way of comparison, this figure represents more than double the number of displaced people in four months of fighting to dislodge the Islamic State (IS) group from eastern Syria. More than 63,000 people fled the violence between 4 December and 31 March, according to the UN.

Controlled by the jihadists of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, al-Qaeda's former branch), the province of Idleb and adjoining insurgent territories still escape the regime, which has intensified its bombing in recent months.

The shelling of the province, but also of territories in the neighboring regions of Hama and Aleppo, has left dozens dead, forcing civilians to flee for shelter in overcrowded refugee camps near the border with Turkey.

"Since February, more than 138,500 women, children and men have been displaced from northern Hama province and southern Idleb," a spokesman for the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs told AFP on Wednesday. UN (Ocha), David Swanson......