UN official voices concern over Syria's Idlib situation

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The top UN official for humanitarian affairs on Tuesday expressed concern over the security and humanitarian situation in Syria's Idlib.

"The situation in Idlib is alarming, with airstrikes, clashes between armed groups, overcrowding and severely stretched basic services deepening the suffering of both displaced people who have fled to Idlib and host communities," Mark Lowcock, UN undersecretary-general and emergency relief coordinator, told the Security Council.

More than 80,000 newly displaced people have arrived in Idlib since March. Keeping pace with the increase in needs in the northwestern governorate has involved redirecting resources from other activities, he said.

Syrian graffiti artist Aziz al Asmar draws a graffiti on a wall of a damaged building to show his support for Palestinians in Binnish district of Idlib, Syria, May 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

Many of the most recent new arrivals in Idlib have come from northern rural Homs. Some 35,000 people were evacuated from this area in the south earlier this month, after a significant escalation of conflicts, said Lowcock.

The UN special envoy for the Syria crisis, Staffan de Mistura, has warned against escalation in Idlib as clashes between Syrian government forces and rebel militias became imminent.

If Idlib repeats what has happened in Eastern Ghouta, the consequences would be much worse, de Mistura told the Security Council on May 16.

The Syrian government's offensive on the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus resulted in massive displacement of people before government forces recaptured the territory last month.

Syrian civil defense members conduct search and rescue operations and rescue a baby after an explosion was carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle in Idlib, Syria, May 26, 2018. /VCG Photo

"If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times, I repeat, six times worse, affecting 2.3 million people there, of which half of them are already IDPs (internally displaced persons), who will have nowhere to go because there is no other place to go once they are up there," said de Mistura.

He also warned that escalation in Idlib or in other areas of the northwest may incur risks not only to Syrian civilians but also to international peace and security, as many of the areas contain external, international forces.

Lowcock said Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in and around Afrin in Aleppo governorate remains "highly complex." The UN and others continue to provide assistance, including food, nutrition, shelter, water, sanitation, hygiene and protection services, to people displaced from Afrin to Tal Refaat and elsewhere.

People inspect the damaged buildings and wrecked cars after an explosion was carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle in Idlib, Syria, May 26, 2018. /VCG Photo

Inside Afrin, humanitarian assistance provided from across the border has been critical for many people. Findings from a recent needs assessment show that most health facilities in rural areas remain closed, many medical personnel have fled, and many schools, markets and bakeries are not functional, said Lowcock.

Yarmouk Camp and surrounding areas in southern Damascus saw fierce fighting last month, resulting in loss of life and the displacement of an estimated 6,000 people, most of them Palestinian refugees, he said.

Last week, combatants and civilians began to be evacuated from Yarmouk. The UN aid agency for Palestiniann refugees (UNRWA) reports that as few as 100 refugees may now remain in the camp, said Lowcock.

Smoke rises after airstrikes hit residential areas of al-Naqir village, located within a de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria, May 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

Humanitarian organizations have not been able to access Yarmouk, but UNRWA was allowed to carry out a rapid needs assessment in neighboring Yalda on Monday. An inter-agency convoy to the area is now a key priority, said Lowcock.

He highlighted attacks on medical facilities and medical workers.

"Violence against health care and health personnel remains a grim hallmark of the conflict in Syria," said Lowcock, noting that 92 attacks have been documented over the first four months of 2018 that led to 89 deaths and 135 injuries.

Civil defence crews and locals conduct search and rescue works after airstrikes hit residential areas of al-Naqir village, May 08, 2018. /VCG Photo

He stressed the need to help more than two million people in hard-to-reach areas. People in places like northern rural Homs, Douma and southern Damascus are some of the most desperate in the country, he said. "Just six inter-agency convoys have reached those areas so far this year, helping 169,000 people. That is less than 20 percent of the people we would like to be reaching."

Lowcock also asked for humanitarian access to Eastern Ghouta, which has returned to government control.

The UN is providing assistance through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, but the world body itself has not received authorization to visit Eastern Ghouta since mid-March, he said.

Civil defense members try to inspect the scene after an explosion carried out with a bomb-laden vehicle in front of the charity building based on US at Al-Dana town of Idlib in Syria, May 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

The authorities report that more than 10,000 people have returned to Eastern Ghouta. This, and the needs of almost 200,000 people believed to have remained throughout the violence, makes access to the area even more critical, he said.

The Syrian government has already approved an inter-agency convoy to bring assistance to 70,000 people in Douma, Eastern Ghouta. But that convoy has not gone, because facilitation letters have not been provided, he said. "So, I reiterate our request to the government of Syria to facilitate access to Eastern Ghouta, so that needs can be assessed, and assistance and protection scaled up."

(Cover: Mark Lowcock has said the last few months have been some of the worst for Syrian civilians as a result of the ongoing violence, March 28, 2018. /UN Photo)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency