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UN refugee agency says Syrians face intensified violence

Xinhua, September 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

As the conflict in Syria enters its fifth year, the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR revealed on Tuesday that not only are people losing their livelihoods and homes, they are also contending with intensified violence.

The UN agency citing reports said that rocket and mortar attacks, heavy bombardments, vehicle explosions and ensuing retaliations are on the rise in Syria.

This has been compounded by widespread unemployment and inflation, with the Syrian pound losing 90 percent of its value in the last four years, while most Syrian regions are experiencing acute electricity shortages and some are also having to grapple with lack of water.

This is driving thousands to undertake often perilous journeys to Europe despite the challenges faced by many Syrians seeking to take refuge in neighboring countries, where measures are starting to be taken by local authorities to stem incoming flows.

According to the UN refugee agency, an escalation of violence in Syria over the last few months together with a continued deterioration of living standards is continuing to drive thousands to flee the war-torn country.

"History will judge this as a defining moment for Europe," said Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Migration and Development Peter Sutherland, adding that "refugees have to be dealt with as human beings."

He also called for a much more proactive response to be adopted by the international community, citing past examples of global engagement during the 1956 refugee crisis in Hungary and that of the Vietnamese boat people in the late 1970s.

Figures show that over 4 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries, with only 12 percent living in formal refugee camps.

Most refugees are located in Turkey (1,938,999), Lebanon (1,113,941), Jordan (629,266), Iraq (249,463), and Egypt (132,375), but also to Greece where around 30,000 Syrian refugees are located.

According to the refugee agency, the Syria Refugee and Resilience Programme for 2015 is only 37 percent funded to date. Endit