Syria (Turkey cross-border)

Overview

At least 220,000 civilians have died as a result of conflict since the civil war began in 2011.? An estimated 11.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. ?6.2 million are internally displaced and 7.8 million refugees have left the country, mostly to neighbouring Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. ?

The humanitarian needs in Syria are severe across all sectors, with health, shelter, and food needs most critical in areas where fighting continues including governorates in the northwest and northeast of the country. Protection interventions are required countrywide. Access for humanitarians remains extremely problematic, even in areas retaken by the Syrian Arab Army.

Since late 2015, the Syrian Arab army have been slowly regaining territory across the country. With only governorates in the northeast and northwest remaining outside government control, the war is widely seen as entering its final and possibly most violent stages. Turkish, Russian, Iranian, American, and Syrian troops are stationed inside Syria, as well as a range of non-state armed groups ranging from more moderate opposition groups to Salafist Jihadi groups.

Latest Developments

11/08: Violence in northwest Syria continues as air raids on civilian targets such as schools, hospitals, markets and shops have intensified as of mid-July. The Syrian regime called a ceasefire on 1 August which halted the airstrikes until 5 August when military operations resumed. Daily attacks in the last month have had a severe impact on civilians as the humanitarian situation in northern Hama, southern Idleb and western Aleppo is deteriorating rapidly. At least a hundred civilians have been killed in the latest round of airstrikes since mid-July. The total number of civilian casualties since the start of the escalation late April ranges between 450 and 700 people. Some 440,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, most of whom have sought shelter near the Turkish border in densely populated areas where humanitarian response is over-stretched. Those left behind are often the most vulnerable who lack the economic means or physical ability to flee. Humanitarian access has become increasingly restricted due to insecurity. Humanitarian conditions in northwest Syria are dire and needs are mounting. ?

30/07: Dire conditions, severe food shortages and lack of medical care have driven thousands of people to leave Rukban camp in the last couple of months. Reports estimate the current population to be 11,000 compared to a U.N. estimate of 41,000 in February. People in the camp are reportedly experiencing severe malnutrition as humanitarian access remains severely restricted. Rukban, located in a demilitarised zone on the border between Syria, Jordan and Iraq, hosts IDPs who fled airstrikes in eastern Homes three years ago. People who leave the camp undergo a security screening by Syrian government forces raising the risk of arrest for those who are perceived to be part of the opposition.  ?

11/06: Multiple fires have destroyed some 400 square kilometres of farmland in the conflict-affected northwest since 10 May. Wheat and barley crops have been burned, severely affecting the already strained food security and livelihood situation in the region. The large-scale crop burning is also expected to have adverse effects on the health of civilians, many of whom are already struggling with respiratory diseases. The cause of the fires is thought to be intentional in some cases and collateral damage of the conflict in others. ?