UNITED NATIONS, Jan 23 (IPS) – Thirteen years of chaos, economic collapse, and multiple earthquakes, have left Syria in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. Enemies are still present in all of Syria’s provinces, each facing mass displacement and damage to critical infrastructure. After the change of government in December 2024, Syrian refugees have started to return from neighboring countries. However, this return was marred by insecurity due to the large number of unexploded ordnance, resulting in many deaths.
December 2024 saw the end of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime due to a series of offensives organized by the Syrian opposition. After that, the Transitional Government of Syria, led by Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir, facilitated the transfer of power and will serve as head of state until March 1, 2025.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the end of Assad’s rule led to the outbreak of conflicts throughout Syria, especially in eastern Aleppo, Al-Hasakah, Ar-Raqqa, Quneitra, and the regions near the Tishreen Dam. . Between January 16 and 18, at least three people were killed and 14 injured due to heavy fighting in Menbij, Ain al-Arab and surrounding areas. On January 17, bombings resulted in damage to several civilian infrastructure, including shops, ambulances and health facilities.
The intense violence also resulted in the Tishreen Dam being damaged and rendered inoperable six weeks ago, depriving 413,000 people in Menbij and Ain-al Arab of water and electricity. Menbij National Hospital is also vulnerable to looting, as medical equipment, ambulances, and generators are at low levels, making healthcare efforts difficult. Repair efforts have been hampered by ongoing insecurity.
Increasing insecurity and displacement have put Syria in an economic crisis. The devaluation of the Syrian currency and inflation have made the cost of food and other basic goods almost unaffordable for many Syrians. Poverty in Syria has been described as “near universal” by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), with nearly 90 percent of Syrians financially insecure.
Living conditions for the majority of Syrians have worsened over the past two months. The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that approximately 13 million people suffer from severe hunger. Additionally, the IRC estimates that over 100,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe malnutrition.
About 636 shelters have had their water, sanitation and hygiene services cut off due to lack of funding, leaving about 636,000 people without clean water. OCHA says the situation is particularly dire in northeastern Syria, with 24,600 internally displaced people (IDPs) living in 204 collective shelters in dire need of water, toilet facilities, heating, winter clothing and mental health support.
Poor sanitation and overcrowding in shelters have led to an outbreak of cholera in Syria. Disease outbreaks have been a constant threat in Syria since the outbreak of war and have worsened in late 2024. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been more than 200 confirmed cases of cholera in Syria.
WHO, in collaboration with UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and local health authorities, launched a 10-day oral cholera vaccination campaign in Syria and was able to reach 100 percent vaccination coverage. However, due to fragile water systems and inadequate sanitation infrastructure, Syrians remain extremely vulnerable to future outbreaks. Humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF and WHO have begun winterization efforts to protect Syrians in shelters from the spread of diseases such as influenza.
According to the 2025 situation report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are currently 7.2 million internally displaced people in Syria, and 6.2 million refugees, mainly based in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. . In addition, displacement rates have increased significantly since the transition of power, as approximately 627,000 people, including 275,000 children, have been displaced across the country, mainly in Idlib and Aleppo.
In a situation report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it has been confirmed that more than 125,000 Syrian refugees have returned from neighboring countries since December 2024, most of these returnees were concentrated in Aleppo, Ar-Raqqa and Dara’ a governorates.
Returnees and displaced Syrians are at high risk of being attacked by unexploded ordnance. According to UNICEF estimates, there are more than 300,000 landmines spread across the country. In December 2024 alone, there were at least 116 incidents of children being killed or injured by unexploded ordnance, an average of 4 cases per day. According to the charity Humanity & Inclusion, approximately 14 million people are at risk of being injured or killed by explosive weapons.
“Girls and boys in this country continue to suffer from the brutality of unexploded ordnance on an incredible scale. It is a major cause of harm to children in Syria right now and has been for many years, and will continue to be. Every step they take carries an unimaginable risk of disaster,” said Ricardo Pires, UNICEF’s Communications Manager for Emergencies.
The United Nations and its partners remain at the forefront of the crisis to help vulnerable people in Syria as they navigate this transitional period. UNICEF’s Syria Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) call for 2025 calls for $488 million in funding to scale up responses. So far, only 11 percent of this fund has been guaranteed.
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© Inter Press Service (2025) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
