The humanitarian crisis in Idlib has receded from the headlines as the world is consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet only this past March, the UN Human Rights Council was debating the latest report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, expressing alarm at the plight of over 1.5 million Syrians displaced at the border with Turkey - with little humanitarian assistance, and children freezing to death because of lack of proper shelters. How did Idlib develop into such a flash point of humanitarian crisis? And with COVID-19 bearing down on this uniquely vulnerable region, what actions can be taken to prevent a last refuge for fleeing civilians from becoming their last hour?
