UN seeks $4B for aid in Syria as civilians face growing humanitarian crisis
A U.N. humanitarian official is appealing for more than $4 billion in lifesaving aid for more than 10 million Syrians, saying the country’s largely forgotten crisis remains “one of the deadliest for civilians in the world.”
BEIRUT — A U.N. humanitarian official appealed Friday for more than $4 billion in lifesaving aid for more than 10 million Syrians, saying the country’s largely forgotten crisis remains “one of the deadliest for civilians in the world.”
Adam Abdelmoula, residential coordinator in Syria for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, made the call days after Syria marked the 13th anniversary of the conflict that has killed almost half a million people and left large parts of the country devastated .
“Today we are confronted with an unprecedented situation in Syria – a situation that we cannot ignore,” Abdelmoula told reporters in Geneva. “Doing nothing will cost us all dearly and will inevitably lead to additional suffering.”
About 16.7 million people need some form of humanitarian assistance in Syria, up from 15.3 million last year, he said. More than seven million people are internally displaced and almost as many are refugees in other countries, including neighboring Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
The war has left 90% of Syria’s population living below the poverty line, while millions of people are facing cuts in food aid due to a lack of funding. The UN World Food Program ended its main aid program in the country in January.
“The crisis in Syria remains one of the deadliest in the world for civilians. Hostilities continue to plague several parts of Syria and have recently seen a sharp spike, especially in the north,” Abdelmoula said.
He suggested that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza had provided cover for increased military activity in parts of Syria.
“We saw the world’s attention focused on Gaza, and that created a kind of diversion of attention that allowed for a significant escalation of hostilities in the northeast without the international community paying much attention to that situation,” said Abdelmoula.