UN: At Least 370,000 Displaced by Syria War Escalation

AFP

Syrian Kurds, fleeing from north of Aleppo, arrive in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqa, on December 4, 2024.

The escalation in fighting in Syria has displaced over 370,000 people in just over a week, the UN said on Friday, December 6, 2024. Among them, at least 100,000 have been forced to flee the violence several times.

“Most of the displaced are women and children,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a briefing in New York. 

"Tens of thousands have sought refuge in northeast Syria," he added.

“These shelters are filling up as soon as they get are assigned with sites now at capacity, people are sleeping on the streets and in their cars in sub-zero temperature as winter has set on,” said Dujarric.

The fresh mass displacement comes after rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham launched their lightning offensive in Syria last week. 

Samer Abdel Jaber, the World Food Programme's Director for Emergency Co-ordination, told reporters in Geneva that up to 1.5 million people could be forced to flee a surge in fighting in Syria.

“If the situation continues evolving [at the same] pace, we're expecting collectively around 1.5 million people that will be displaced and will be requiring our support,” he added.

Earlier this month, the UN humanitarian office said it had had to cut food rations in Syria by up to 80 per cent due to insufficient funds.



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