Damascus:
The United Nations (UN) has said that the 40,000 Syrians have fled fighting
near the northern city of Aleppo in recent days as government forces continue
an offensive against opposition fighters despite a truce.
On
Wednesday, the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the
escalating violence has pushed people eastwards towards the strategically vital
border town of Azaz, as well as the Bab al-Salam and Sijjou refugee camps. In a
statement OCHA said: “Taking into account the previous influx of over 75,000
internally displaced people into the Azaz sub-district in January and February,
humanitarian needs are expected to rise exponentially.”
Ariane
Rummery of the UN refugee agency said: “We are extremely concerned at the
intensification of fighting in northern Syria and its impact on civilians, as
well as humanitarian delivery to the area, and continue to monitor the
situation closely.” The UN expressed deep worry on Wednesday over the fate of
the thousands displaced by the fresh fighting. Aid agencies have distributed
food baskets and blankets, jerry cans, mattresses and plastic sheeting for
thousands of newly displaced people and are preparing to scale up the response,
she said.
The medical
charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that there are now more than 100,000
people trapped on the Syrian side of the Turkish border, with 35,000 having
fled in the past week from camps that had been taken over by Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters or had become too close
to the frontline.
Turkey has
closed the frontier to all but the most seriously ill or wounded people.
Fighting
around Aleppo has become the biggest threat to the fragile cessation of
hostilities that came into force on February 27.It has also has contributed to
the decision by the main opposition delegation to suspend its formal
participation in peace talks.
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