Conflicts
UN: Lack of aid for Syria increases migration pressure
Syrians take part in a demonstration: 16.7 million people in Syria need humanitarian support. photo
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
The humanitarian crisis in Syria is losing attention. A UN coordinator warns of the consequences of this development.
With wars and conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and elsewhere, the humanitarian crisis is escalating According to the United Nations, Syria is wrongly left out of sight. This has dramatic consequences for the local people, but is also likely to fuel migration towards Europe, said the UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula.
“Migration will increase significantly if we cannot meet the needs of people within the country,” Abdelmoula said. It is in the national interest of donor countries to make more money available for humanitarian care. This is significantly cheaper than caring for asylum seekers. The number of Syrian asylum seekers in Europe has already increased by 38 percent year-on-year to around 181,000 in 2023.
Struggles, climate and poverty
The Gaza war is putting additional strain on the country after 13 years of civil war with ongoing conflicts. Abdelmoula cited, among other things, significantly more attacks by Israel on Syrian territory and high price increases. This is due to the diversion of cargo ships in the Red Sea due to attacks from Yemen due to the Gaza war. Abdelmoula spoke from Damascus via video link to reporters in Geneva.
16.7 million people needed humanitarian support in Syria, significantly more than last year and the year before (2022: 14.6 million). Apart from ongoing fighting and the devastating earthquake in February 2023, the country has been hit hard by the climate crisis, with heat exceeding 40 degrees and dwindling rainfall. Because of the great poverty, families have to skip meals or forego medication in order to buy food for their children.
The United Nations urgently asked for more money. The call for donations amounting to 4.07 billion dollars (3.76 billion euros) for 2024 had only been covered by 0.02 percent as of March 1st.