More than half of the Syrian people need help and assistance

ARK News: A UN official confirmed on Friday that more than 11 million people in various regions of Syria need help and assistance.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator and Emergency Relief Coordinator in the UN Mark Lokoc told the UN Security Council, that some 4 million people are receiving UN humanitarian assistance across the border in northern Syria, with 2.7 million in the territory controlled by armed factions in and around Idlib province in the northwest.

Member states in the Security Council urged to extend the mandate of cross-border assistance, which expires in December and stressed that these operations are of the utmost importance and irreplaceable.

Lokoc warned that the suspension would deprive millions of civilians of vital support and lead to widespread famine and disease in the region, which could cause a new wave of asylum across the border, exacerbating the already existing crisis in the region.

The UN official pointed to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Idlib, especially with the approaching winter, warning of the continuation of airstrikes in the area.

He said that the residents of Idlib suffer from the abuses of the militias, pointing out that ”the city of Kafar Takharim has been under siege and shelling, which claimed the lives of civilians, after the residents organized demonstrations against the presence of elements of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the former al-Nusra Front forms the spine.

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