While armed groups hostile to Bashar Al-Assad’s government took possession of most of the city of Aleppo on Saturday 30 November, fighting continues between their fighters and the regime’s forces. In three days, more than 300 people, including 28 civilians, have already lost their lives. The NGO Mehad, founded by doctors from the Syrian diaspora and still very active in the country, is warning of the disastrous humanitarian consequences of this new crisis.
The human toll is already high and massive displacements are expected
Between 26 and 30 November, the escalation of hostilities in the regions of Idleb and western Aleppo resulted in the deaths of at least 30 civilians, including four children, and injuries to 46 people. A strike on a school killed three children. Nearly 20,000 people have been forced to flee, and projections predict up to 500,000 displaced if the fighting continues.
Vital services paralysed
This crisis has led to a critical deterioration in essential services in the region. ” Nearly 24 health facilities have had to suspend their non-emergency activities, and referral hospitals are overwhelmed by the influx of injured people ,” says Osamah AlHoussin, Programs Manager for the Idleb-based NGO Mehad. In Idleb, only 11 reception centres are operational, with a limited capacity of 1,650 families. Eighteen other centres are being prepared, but are still insufficient.
An urgent call for international mobilisation
With only 30% of the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 funded, there are alarming gaps in the health, protection and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) sectors, in a region already devastated by almost 14 years of war and the violent earthquake of February 2023.
Women and children, who make up the majority of those affected, face increasingly pressing needs in terms of health, nutrition and protection against violence.
“We call on the international community to act immediately to prevent a humanitarian disaster on a much larger scale,” urges Mego Terzian, Executive Director of the NGO Mehad , “as the situation is evolving rapidly, humanitarian actors must be supported to respond to this growing emergency.
