The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
At least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in northwest Syria amid intense air and ground bombardment, with winter conditions worsening an escalating humanitarian crisis, the United Nations said today.
“We are alarmed at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Idlib, in northwest Syria, where over three million civilians remain trapped in a war zone – the vast majority of them are women and children,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) . “At least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in southern Idlib since mid-December, following a sharp escalation in hostilities”.
Many of those who have fled are living in tents and makeshifts shelters in inhospitable places, with harsh winter conditions in Idlib governorate, a densely populated area that already hosts displaced people from all over Syria. The Idlib area is the last rebel-held swathe of territory in Syria’s nearly nine-year civil war.
“Every day we receive disturbing reports of families caught up in the violence, seeking refuge and access to essential services in overcrowded camps and urban areas. Many are now sheltering in schools, mosques and other public buildings”, Laerke said. “Across Idlib we get reports of critical shortages of food, shelter, health and winterization assistance, as well as other basic services required for their survival”.
“Millions of people in Idlib they are trapped,” the UN OCHA spokesman added. “As you have seen things are getting increasingly worse over the past weeks - they currently have nowhere to go. We have seen, as I mentioned, a very significant increase in internal displacement. Since mid-December, an additional 300,000 movements of people on the run”.
According to OCHA, at least nine civilians were killed and 20 others injured on Sunday in the town of Ariha, south of the city of Idlib, following airstrikes in the area. The airstrikes also resulted in destruction and damage to buildings, including a kindergarten and a mosque.
Airstrikes and shelling are taking place on a near daily basis in many towns and villages. OCHA reported that at least 13 health facilities in Idlib have been recently forced to suspend their operations for security reasons. Throughout the country, “at least 1,300 civilians were killed by air strikes and shelling between May and August last year,” Laerke said, specifying that more recent data was not available,
Asked about the UN’s cross-border humanitarian operation from Turkey to Syria, the OCHA spokesman said that it is one of the most scrutinized aid delivery systems in the world today, a lifeline for 2.7 million people who rely on it for their survival. The delivery of cross-border and cross-line humanitarian aid, originally authorized through UN Security Council 2165 (in July 2014, and renewed several times since then), is a key issue currently before the Security Council.
“One of the reasons why it is so critical important that we continue with the cross-border cooperation is to keep the death toll down”, Laerke said. “Of course, we cannot prevent shelling and fighting. We can call for that to stop. But what we can do is to provide aid so that people survive where they are and this during this very harsh winter, and that is what we are doing. As I mentioned, 2,7 million really rely on our assistance for their survival, and we need to see that continue.” Mr. Laerke stated that there was “no plan B” for the current operation, and that this was the only viable way to reach the people in need.
- Wide shot: exterior, flag alley, Palais des Nations, United Nations Geneva.SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “We are alarmed at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Idlib, in northwest Syria, where over three million civilians remain trapped in a war zone – the vast majority of them are women and children. At least 300,000 civilians have fled their homes in southern Idlib since mid-December, following a sharp escalation in hostilities”.
- Medium shot: journalists
- SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Every day we receive disturbing reports of families caught up in the violence, seeking refuge and access to essential services in overcrowded camps and urban areas. Many are now sheltering in schools, mosques and other public buildings. Across Idlib we get reports of critical shortages of food, shelter, health and winterization assistance, as well as other basic services required for their survival”.
- Wide shot, journalists
- SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Indeed, the millions of people in Idlib they are trapped. As you have seen things getting increasingly worse over the past weeks they currently have nowhere to go. We have seen, as I mentioned, a very significant increase in internal displacement. Since mid-December an additional 300,000 movements of people on the run”.
- Close up, journalist
- SOUNDBITE (EN) Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “Between May and August last year we have a number of at least 1,300 civilians were killed by air strikes and shelling”.
- Close up, journalist
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - Jens Laerke, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “One of the reasons why it is so critical important that we continue with the cross-border cooperation is to keep the death toll down. Of course, we cannot prevent shelling and fighting. We can call for that to stop but what we can do is to provide aid so that people survive where they are and this during this very harsh winter and that is what we are doing. As I mentioned, 2,7 million really rely on our assistance for their survival and we need to see that continue.”
- Close up, journalist
- Close up, hands writing
- Medium shot, camera people
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.