The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | UNICEF , UNHCR , OCHA , WHO , UNOG , WFP
Bi-weekly press briefing: Northern Syria update - WHO/UNHCR/OCHA/UNICEF/WFP
Shelling and clashes in northern Syria on the border with Turkey continue to cause hundreds of people to flee, the UN said today (18 Oct), despite a cessation of hostilities deal between Turkish forces and Syrian-backed Kurdish military.
Hailed as a ceasefire by some Governments and a five-day pause in hostilities by others, the agreement comes nine days into a military campaign launched by Turkey against Kurdish-held territory on its southern border, east of the Euphrates river.
“Despite the announcement of the ceasefire – it’s called different things, pauses by others – shelling and intermittent clashes continue to be reported around Ras-al-Ain as of this morning, although the situation is reportedly calm elsewhere,” said Jens Laerke from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Updating journalists in Geneva, several UN agencies confirmed that they were continuing to deliver aid and provide basic services in the conflict zone “where access allows.”
Highlighting critical needs, the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed for the humanitarian response to be scaled-up urgently.
Spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic noted that 40 tonnes of medical supplies had been airlifted from Damascus to Qamishli earlier this week, while Ras al Ain and Tal Abyad hospitals remain closed.
This has made Tal Tamr Hospital “the main reception point for wounded persons coming from conflict at Ras al Ain”, he explained, before adding that it has “struggled to cope of the influx of patients and patients”, who have been sent to Al Hasakeh and Qamishli.
The WHO supplies – which include more than 100,000 treatments and 620 trauma kits – will be distributed to WHO-supported facilities in Al-Hasakeh, rural Ar-Raqqa and rural Deir-ez-Zor.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Friday that it plans reach 580,000 people in affected areas this month.
Since 9 October, the UN agency has provided assistance to 170,000 people, spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said, expressing concern at the mass displacement caused by the violence.
“There are more than 165,000 people on the move in the north-east, and they seek shelter in Al-Hassakeh and in Raqqa,” he said. “Many people in those cities choose to stay with family and friends rather than in collective shelters, so that figure in fact can even be higher.”
Lack of drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people is still a serious concern in Al-Hassakeh, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.
“The Alouk water pumping station in Hassakeh is still non-functional due to the damage on the main power lines, affecting water supply to 400,000 people,” said Marixie Mercado, spokesperson.
“Deconfliction is needed to allow UNICEF to supply 16,000 litres of fuel on a daily basis in order to run the back-up generators.”
Asked to comment on Turkey’s reported wish to send home nearly four million Syrian refugees who have been sheltering in the country for years, UNHCR’s Mr. Mahecic replied that it had not seen any proposals “from any party.”
Reiterating the agency’s stance on the return of refugees, he insisted that any return of refugees to Syria or any other place in the world “has to be voluntary, it has to be dignified and it has to be safe at the time when it is safe to return.”
1. Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations flag alley
2. Wide shot, podium with speakers
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jens Laerke, spokesperson, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Despite the announcement of the ceasefire – it’s called different things, pauses by others – shelling and intermittent clashes continue to be reported around Ras-al-Ain as of this morning, although the situation is reportedly calm elsewhere.”
4. Wide shot, podium with speakers
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Tarik Jasarevic, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO):
“Tal Tamr Hospital has been the main reception point for wounded persons coming from the conflict zone at Ras al Ain. The hospital has struggled to cope of the influx of patients and patients have been subsequently referred onwards to Al Hasakeh and Qamishli.”
6. Wide shot, TV camera and journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Hervé Verhoosel senior spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP):
“There are more than 165,000 people on the move in the north-east, and they seek shelter in Hasakeh and in Raqqa. Many people in those cities choose to stay with family and friends rather than in collective shelters, so that figure in fact can even be higher.”
8. Wide shot, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“Another 734 refugees have entered Iraq last night. That is in addition to the 1,600 that we have moved to Bardarash camp over the past four days.”
10. Med shot, journalists
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Marixie Mercado, spokesperson, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF):
“The Alouk water pumping station in Hassakeh is still non-functional due to the damage on the main power lines, affecting water supply to 400,000 people. Deconfliction is needed to allow UNICEF to supply 16,000 litres of fuel on a daily basis in order to run the back-up generators.”
12. Med shot, journalists on their laptops
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
“We haven’t seen any specific proposals from any party to these talks, so there nothing specific for us to comment about. You know our global position on the return of refugees that any return of refugees to Syria or any other place in the world has to be voluntary, it has to be dignified and it has to be safe at the time when it is safe to return.”
14. Med shot, journalist working on laptop
15. Wide shot, journalists
16. Med shot, TV camera operators
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks Intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak continues to expand, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 patient recoveries.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks reportedly continue to hamper aid access.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Ceasefire reduces violence in South Lebanon, but challenges remain as communities face devastation.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ebola continues to spread in DRC, death toll passes 500 – WHO
The outbreak of the deadly Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is expanding, while the push to accelerate testing and identify effective treatment options continues, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | ITU , ODET , PGA , UN , UNESCO
UN chief António Guterres appealed on Monday for far-reaching, worldwide controls on Artificial Intelligence, as increasingly powerful AI chips that are designed for civilian use shift to the battlefield, where “killer robots” are already the norm.