Safety of civilians affected by hostilities in Syria remains grave concern

These recent displacements are compounding an already dire situation in which some 710,000 people were already displaced and approximately 1.8 million remain in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN adviser.

The safety and protection of hundreds of thousands of civilians affected by a recent escalation of hostilities in northeast Syria remain a grave concern, a senior UN humanitarian adviser said after visiting the war-torn country.

While the intensity and scope of violence have declined in recent weeks, Najat Rochdi, Senior Humanitarian Adviser to the Special Envoy for Syria, told a Humanitarian Task Force meeting in Geneva on Thursday that localized heavy fighting continues.

She explained that of the more than 200,000 people who fled the fighting in recent weeks, close to 100,000 have yet to return home, dispersed across improvised camps and shelters.

These recent displacements are compounding an already dire situation in which some 710,000 people were already displaced and approximately 1.8 million remain in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN adviser.

While humanitarian actors continue to mobilize and, when possible, help people affected by the hostilities, Ms. Rochdi urged all parties to do more to facilitate guaranteed safe, unimpeded and sustained access for the UN and its humanitarian partners.