Why we have to keep telling the stories of those bearing the brunt of Syria’s civil war

Approaching a decade of conflict, it is difficult to report on anything but the ceaseless violence – though we must carry on, writes Olivia Alabaster

Civilians flee from Idlib earlier this month (AP)

Nearly nine years into the Syrian war, and a new horrific phase of the conflict has opened up – three million civilians are trapped in Idlib, with nowhere to go to escape an unforgiving onslaught from Assad and Russian forces.

In this devastating civil war, each year seems to bring new cruelty, and yet it has become increasingly difficult to tell the story in a way that will capture the attention of readers – and alert the world to the situation on the ground.

In the early days of the uprising, when revolutions spread from Tunisia across the Middle East, victories, and defeats, were small.