The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
More than 10,000 people from Syria have sought refuge in neighbouring Iraq in the 10 days since fighting began in north-eastern Syria near the border with Turkey, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
The situation in north-eastern Syria remains tense and unpredictable, with ongoing violence has leading to “some 180,000 people having been displaced across the country’s north-east,” according to the latest UN estimates.
Most of the Syrian refugees come from cities and villages from northeast Syria and have witnessed explosions and shelling. “Three out of four are women and children and there are unaccompanied children among these arrivals,” Andrej Mahecic, a spokesperson for the UNHCR told journalists today in Geneva.
In a further update Mahecic added that that only had the latest refugee influx to Iraq passed the 10,000 mark, but that they had just received another “1,114 people this morning, bringing the total to more than 11,000 refugees.” Most of the people fleeing Syria into Iraq are sheltered at the Bardarash refugee camp, some 140 kilometers east of the Iraqi-Syrian border, he said.
UNHCR and partners, together with local authorities, are providing a range of services that start from the border. These include reception, provision of hot meals, transportation to the camp, registration, shelter and protection services, and even providing psycho-social support.
As humanitarian needs mount along with the burgeoning numbers of refugees, Mahecic stressed “the importance of freedom of movement for fleeing civilians and that the borders remain open, so that refugees can seek safety and protection”.
- Exterior shot, Palais des Nations
- Wide shot, Room III
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Andrej Mahecic, UNHCR: “In Syria, some 180,000 people have been displaced across the country’s north-east according to the latest UN estimates. The majority of the displaced are women and children.”
- Medium shot of podium, zoom out
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Andrej Mahecic, UNHCR: “1,114 people have been received this morning, so that brings the in-country total to more than 11,000 refugees.”
- Medium shot: journalists
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Andrej Mahecic, UNHCR: “We and our partners continue to provide life-saving assistance to them around the clock. We stress the importance of freedom of movement for fleeing civilians and that the borders remain open so that refugees can seek safety and protection. UNHCR and other humanitarian partners are working with authorities of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and are committed to supporting their response to the latest refugee influx.”
- Medium shot: journalists
- Close-up: journalist
- Medium shot: journalists
- Close-up: spokesperson
- Medium shot: journalists
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday called on States to urgently agree to the development of a treaty regulating autonomous weapon systems, as they prepare to meet at the 7th Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons next week.
1
1
1
Edited News
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak persists six-months on as armed groups violence hamper response
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread amid persistent deadly attacks against civilians and frontline health workers by armed groups that are obstructing efforts to stop transmission, UN responders said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers prepare to leave southern Lebanon after 48 years amid ongoing instability.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights on Tuesday called on Egypt to end the persecution, harassment and intimidation of independent journalists and media outlets, and to respect press freedom.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNICEF
Drones and drought are "closing in" on Sudan, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, said on Tuesday, describing unprecedented attacks on the country's infrastructure including by drones travelling up to 1,500 kilometres before hitting their target.
"It is an assault unlike anything Sudan has seen before. In the last week of October, not a single day passed without a drone strike on a power station in Sudan. Up to 15 were hit in the month of October,” said agency spokesperson James Elder.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNHCR
Aid teams working to help millions of people uprooted by the ongoing war in Sudan appealed on Friday for more international assistance amid desperate funding shortages, empty warehouses and overwhelming needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Ukraine has sustained almost 2,000 attacks on education since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, with some 270 this year alone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
More than 280,000 people have now been displaced by fighting in Yemen and many vulnerable people are unable to access lifesaving relief because it is too dangerous to do so, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN
Tour guides at UN Geneva turned heads at the Palace of Nations on Thursday as they unveiled stylish new uniforms, designed in partnership with leading Italian sustainable fashion designers and manufacturers.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WFP
Aid agencies warned on Friday of the fast-developing humanitarian emergency inside Taiz City in Yemen, which has been encircled by de facto Houthi forces fighting government troops along the country’s west coast.
2
17
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | OCHA , WMO
Two UN agencies teamed up on Wednesday to issue an appeal for immediate assistance to help communities already being impacted by the strongest El Niño on record.
3
16
2
2
Edited News , B-roll , Conferences , Images | UNITED NATIONS , UNOG
Sixth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for Sudan