Idlib cease-fire boosts fishing, farming in Syria

By Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu, Esref Musa, and Ahmad Wais

IDLIB (AA) – Last month’s cease-fire in Idlib, northwestern Syria, is proving to be a blessing for the country, as many civilians who returned to their homes are working and trying to earn a living.

Farming and fishery activities have started to flourish again in the wake of the cease-fire, reached by Turkey and Russia, locals told Anadolu Agency.

Farmers are raising sheep, goats, and fish in the Hama province, an area with extensive grasslands due south of Idlib and one of Syria's most important centers for farm-raised fish.

People have also arranged boat rides in ponds.

Idlib is currently home to about four million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout war-torn Syria, with some likely taking the cease-fire as an opportunity to return home.

Around one million Syrians were displaced from the Idlib province when the Assad regime and its allies launched an offensive last November.

Most of the refugees sought shelter at camps close to the border with Turkey, while others went to areas under the control of the Syrian opposition.

- Cease-fire

The March 6 protocol between Ankara and Moscow urged all parties to halt fighting in the de-escalation zone.

Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.

Idlib, home to over three million people, has been the subject of multiple cease-fire agreements over the years but the deals have been frequently violated by Syrian forces and their allies.

* Writing by Dilara Hamit in Ankara