Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 14 February 2020
U.N. says 140,000 displaced in 3 days amid Syrian offensive

By SARAH EL DEEB the area to stall the ad-
Associated Press vances, sparking rare direct
BEIRUT (AP) — Over 140,000 confrontations with Syrian
Syrians have been dis- troops. The Syrian war, now
placed in the last three in its ninth year, has pulled
days alone by violence in in international players in-
the country's northwest, cluding the U.S., Russia and
bringing the total of those Turkey. Russia has support-
uprooted in a Syrian gov- ed the Syrian government
ernment offensive against troops while the U.S. has led
the last opposition strong- an international coalition
hold to over 800,000, the fighting Islamic State group
United Nations said Thurs- militants.
day. Also on Thursday, the U.S.
The U.N. said at least 60% military acknowledged its
of the more than 800,000 troops fired on and killed
displaced since Dec. 1 are a Syrian combatant when
children. The humanitarian government supporters at-
crisis in the already over- tacked an American con-
crowded opposition-held voy in northeastern Syria a
enclave is compounded day earlier.
by freezing weather con- The clash Wednesday was
ditions, and existing severe a rare direct confronta-
needs. Syrian civilians flee from Idlib in rain toward the north to find safety inside Syria near the border with tion between a Syrian pro-
The government offensive, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. Associated Press government group and
backed by Russia, has in- U.S. troops deployed in the
tensified and expanded to sources, including funding, indifferent," Swanson add- hold on the highway. Most increasingly crowded ter-
include southern and east- are immediately needed ed. of the villages and towns rain near the border with
ern Idlib province as well as to save lives and alleviate Government forces, with that sit alongside the high- Iraq and Turkey. A convoy
southern and western Alep- suffering, predicting the Russian support, have fo- way are now empty, while of U.S. armored vehicles
po, an area home to an es- 800,000 figure will rise in the cused their offensive on hundreds of thousands are drove into a government-
timated 4 million people. coming days as the gov- areas along a strategic squeezing into displace- controlled area and was
Most have already been ernment offensive contin- highway that runs through ment camps, open fields attacked by pro-govern-
displaced from other parts ues. opposition territory and and tents to move away ment supporters, includ-
of Syria because of the on- "This level of displacement connects the country's from the front lines. ing armed men who fired
going conflict. couldn't come at a worse south to the north. The M5 The U.N. said 550,000 of the at the soldiers and pelted
The humanitarian situation time as more and more highway, now secured by displaced are living in Idlib them with stones and Mo-
for people in northwest people are squeezed into Syrian troops, had been towns and villages already lotov cocktails.
Syria is "at the most critical an increasingly smaller area out of government control packed with displaced Spokesman for the U.S-led
points," the U.N. said, add- of land with little more than since 2012 and accessing people. Another 250,000 coalition Col. Myles Cag-
ing that the massive scale the clothes on their back," it was part of a now failed have moved to northern gins said the person killed
of human displacement he said, describing people 2018 cease-fire agreement. Aleppo in areas adminis- was a combatant. He said
over such a short period of fleeing in the middle of the Calls for a cease-fire have tered by Turkey and allied the U.S. soldiers had come
time has increased needs night to avoid detection in failed to stop the violence. Syrian groups. under fire and responded in
exponentially. temperatures below zero. On Thursday, government Turkey, a sponsor of the self-defense. Syrian govern-
David Swanson, U.N. re- "The crisis is deepening by troops continued to ad- cease-fire and a backer ment media maintained
gional spokesperson for the the minute, but the interna- vance through the Aleppo of the opposition, has sent the person killed was a ci-
crisis in Syria, said more re- tional community remains countryside to secure their thousands of troops into vilian.
Ethiopia approves controversial law curbing hate speech

online, just months ahead who make innocent mis- er was awarded the Nobel
of a major election. takes," Befekadu Hailu, di- Peace Prize. The loosening
The law's approval, with rector of the Center for the of restrictions on political
23 lawmakers opposing Advancement of Rights space also led some in the
and two abstaining, came and Democracy, told The country of more than 80
amid concerns over wide- Associated Press. "But most ethnic groups to air long-
spread online false infor- importantly, legal actions held grievances.
mation and hate speech are usually used by the Some government officials
that some observers blame state to stifle dissent in the and observers have called
for ethnic tensions in the country. To say something for the need to regulate
East African nation. positive … it may have a hate speech and disinfor-
Others worry the new law deterrence effect for irre- mation online, citing the
will restrict freedom of ex- sponsible social media us- ethnic unrest.
In this Monday, Oct. 10, 2016 file photo, Ethiopian men read pression in a country that ers." Lawmakers said the law is
newspapers and drink coffee at a cafe during a declared state once jailed thousands of Ethiopia has been experi- needed because existing
of emergency and internet shurdown in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. people, including journal- encing sometimes deadly legal provisions didn't prop-
Associated Press ists, over political views. ethnic violence since June erly address hate speech
By ELIAS MESERET Thursday approved a con- The new law "will not meet 2018, shortly after Prime and disinformation and
Associated Press troversial law aimed at its goal but will discourage Minister Abiy Ahmed an- said it will not affect citi-
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) curbing hate speech and free expression and may nounced sweeping politi- zens' rights beyond protect-
— Ethiopian lawmakers on disinformation, especially eventually target people cal reforms for which he lat- ing them. q