Ignoring the Syrian crisis could destabilize the region, experts say

More than 13 years after Syria’s civil war erupted, the United Nations says the country has become a more dangerous place for civilians, noting that President Bashir Assad’s oppressive government that sparked the conflict remains in power and continues to escalate. hostilities on all fronts.

“The crisis in Syria remains one of the deadliest for civilians in the world. Hostilities continue to plague all parts of Syria,” Adam Abdelmulla, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, said at a press conference in Geneva on Friday. , and there has been a sharp rise recently, especially in the north.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in the first 10 months of 2023, 454 civilians were killed as a result of the conflict, including 88 women and 115 children.

These casualties are the latest manifestation of the toll the war is taking on the Syrian people. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed and more than 12 million have been displaced since the war began on March 15, 2011, including 6.8 million inside Syria and 5.4 million as refugees in five neighboring countries.

“Today, there are an alarming 16.7 million people in Syria in need of some form of humanitarian assistance,” Abdulmullah said in the capital Damascus, noting that nearly 13 million people were suffering from severe hunger.

The economy has plummeted, causing prices for the most basic goods to soar, he said. “Every day we hear how people are forced to give up meals, take children out of school to help support their families, or mothers choose not to take medication to feed their children. This is unconscionable.”

While the catastrophic situation facing Syrian civilians is largely caused by man-made disasters, natural disasters and climate shocks have exacerbated the plight.

The devastating earthquake in northern Syria in February 2023 killed some 6,000 people and injured more than 12,800, “increased pressure on services, caused displacement and caused widespread damage,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, adding that “many families briefly lost their The primary breadwinner”. When the economic situation is already severe. “

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said two days of severe flooding last week affected more than 15,700 people in several displacement camps in Idlib and northern Aleppo. It is said that there have been more than 100 flooding incidents in northwest Syria this year, with more than 3,300 family tents damaged and 500 destroyed.

The United Nations is appealing for $4.07 billion to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to 10.8 million of the 16.7 million Syrians in need this year.

Abdelmulla warned that funding was almost non-existent and the spillover effects from the war in Gaza and other crises were making it difficult for Syria to gain international support.

“We are dealing with so many crises. Look around the world. There’s Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan – the list goes on,” Abdulmullah said.

“With every new crisis that emerges, the Syrian crisis is pushed to the back burner. We are working hard to bring global attention to Syria, which is proving challenging,” he said.

Abdulmullah warned that ignoring Syria’s calls for aid would have dangerous, destabilizing effects in the region and beyond, including “the resurgence of terrorism we have seen recently.”

He also warned that turning a blind eye to Syria’s plight could trigger a renewed influx of refugees into countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, which are already overwhelmed by the pressure to host large numbers of Syrian refugees.

“We’re probably going to see an increase in immigration from Europe,” he said, noting that the number of immigrants in Europe is already surging.

“In 2023, we received 181,000 new asylum applications in Europe. This is a 38% increase compared to 2022,” he said.

“If more resources are not provided because the Syrian people need them, then donor countries should provide them purely out of national interest,” he said. “Unless we can keep people within their own borders, there will be a huge increase in immigration.

“We are still in the first quarter of the year but given the level of funding we have and the fragility we see around us, it is not difficult to conclude that immigration will only increase.

“Providing services to people to stay in their own country is less expensive than providing services to them when they arrive at any asylum destination,” he said.