Syrian inferno: Millions of displaced unprotected civilians without food, UN data

(Patria) – Although a ceasefire is still in effect in northwestern Syria, United Nations humanitarian agencies on Friday once again warned of the harshest conditions in which hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the brutal war now in its tenth year are living.  

Turkey and Russia, which support opposing sides – the Syrian regime and the rebels – fighting for the Idlib province, agreed to a ceasefire on March 6. The meeting between the statesmen of the two countries was preceded by the deaths of 33 Turkish soldiers on the northwestern Syrian battlefield, in an airstrike believed to have been carried out by Russian forces.

The provinces of Idlib and Aleppo are home to millions of displaced persons from other parts of Syria that were war zones at various stages of the conflict.   

Jens Laerke from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) told reporters in Geneva that there is 'very little protection (for civilians)' and that this is a 'brutal truth'.

Laerke claims that the 'overall level of violence is somewhat lower' and that airstrikes have stopped, leading to less population displacement near the front line, but that this does not make Idlib 'a safer place' because shelling continues.

According to UN OCHA data, about one million civilians have been displaced since December last year, when the Syrian regime intensified efforts to take control of the last opposition stronghold.

About 327,000 people are staying in makeshift camps and tents, while 165,000 civilians are staying in half-destroyed houses or buildings.

About 366,000 displaced persons have been taken in by other families or have rented houses, while about 93,000 are in collective shelters, former schools and mosques.

Laerke says some people have 'taken shelter under trees'.

'The number of civilians in Syria without food has increased to 7.9 million, a jump of 22% in just one year,' said World Food Programme spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs.

The UN Secretary-General has appealed to the parties in the Syrian conflict to stop the fighting and reach a political agreement on a transition to peace, which is also necessary to deliver aid to the vulnerable population.

- Protection (of civilians) begins with those who are fighting, who are obliged to comply with obligations arising from international law – to always protect civilians from the consequences of warfare. That is precisely the problem, concludes Jens Laerke.

(source of data Reliefweb)