Over 75,000 individuals, including Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Arabs, have been displaced from Aleppo (Heleb) into North and East Syria (Rojava), the Rojava Information Centre reported on Tuesday. Fleeing violence from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), many face life-threatening conditions. At least three elderly people have died after spending nights outdoors in freezing temperatures.
“The displaced have been sleeping outside for the past 48-72 hours,” said Muhammad Sheikho, co-chair of the Afrin (Efrîn) and Shahba (Şehba) Council. “There is no room for them until shelters are set up. Some are stranded on the way as their cars have broken down, and we’ve lost contact with others.” Temporary camps, schools, and gymnasiums have been converted into makeshift shelters, but resources are insufficient to meet the overwhelming need.
Thousands fled from areas such as Shahba and Tel Rifaat (Til Rifat) after the SNA seized the region. Reports of attacks, robbery, and extortion targeting fleeing civilians are widespread. At least three Kurdish civilians were reportedly shot dead while attempting to escape in the Aleppo countryside.
Sheikho urged international intervention, emphasising the urgent need for medical supplies as hospitals struggle to cope. “All the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) hospitals are offering care for free, but the extreme cold is causing severe health issues, and we need immediate support,” he added.
In Aleppo, Kurdish neighbourhoods such as Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh remain under siege by HTS forces. Residents face soaring food prices, bread shortages, and deteriorating living conditions. “As soon as [HTS] entered Aleppo, they destroyed a Christmas tree as a symbol of the Christian community,” said a local resident. “They assure us that they won’t harm us, but we don’t know what to do. We’ve stopped going to work, and we are lost.”
Violence has also escalated around Manbij (Minbic), a multi-ethnic city governed by the AANES. Turkish-backed SNA militias have been accused of advancing in the Euphrates canton near Manbij and Kobani (Kobanê). AANES officials warn that an attack on Manbij could destabilise the region further. “Manbij is integral to the multi-ethnic model of governance in this area,” an official said. “Its destruction would have dire consequences.”
In the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor (Dêrazor), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched an offensive against Syrian regime and Iranian-backed forces. Villages used as staging grounds for attacks on the SDF remain contested after fierce fighting. The SDF said their actions were in response to recent violence in western Syria and potential Islamic State (ISIS) activity.
The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with displaced families calling for international assistance to address the lack of shelter, medical care, and basic necessities. Aid organisations have set up reception centres in Raqqa (Reqa) and al-Thawrah (Tabqa), but with tens of thousands still without homes, the situation grows more desperate by the day.
