President of the Syrian National Coalition, Anas al-Abda, sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, president and members of the UN Security Council to draw their attention to the dire humanitarian situation in northwestern Syria resulting from the Assad regime and Russia’s continued crimes.
Al-Abda said that the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, the regime’s recapture of northern rural Hama and southern rural Idlib, and the siege of other areas have further worsened the suffering of civilians.
Moreover, Al-Abda said that more than a million civilians are wandering in the open and looking for safety either in the open or IDP camps. He said that the majority of the IDP fled the regime’s assault to areas near the borders of Turkey.
“The displacement patterns remain the same which increase the pressure on the host communities in the areas of displacement that are already in desperate need of assistance, urging them to think about seeking refuge in other countries despite the risks they face while crossing borders and seas,” Al-Abda added.
Furthermore, Al-Abda called for the delivery of UN humanitarian assistance to Idlib, Hama, Aleppo and Latakia across the Turkish border in accordance with resolutions 2165 (2014) and 2449 (2018).
He also called for the expansion of the UN humanitarian assistance to meet basic and emergency needs with respect to shelter, food, education, health and services for IDPs and residents of those areas.
Al-Abda called for supporting the political process in order to achieve a political transition and prevent the regime from sabotaging it again, taking in consideration that the effective solution of the humanitarian crisis in Syria requires a political solution through the complete implementation of resolution 2254.
“There are three million civilians (women 25% and children 51%) in Idlib, paying a painful price for the endless attacks, where women bear the brunt of the pain. Nearly 400,000 children have no school to go to, and 150,000 were recently displaced and they need immediate education services.”
Al-Abda also said that the Syrian people are living “the worst humanitarian tragedy the world has seen since the second World War Two,” stressing that this must trigger international action to remove the threats to international peace and security. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
