UN humanitarian agencies call for end of suffering in Syria

Several UN humanitarian agencies on Monday urged warring parties in Syria to work toward an end to the conflict, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the star of the crisis.

"No one wants to see a sixth year of conflict," heads of the groups said in a joint statement.

With fewer bombs, better humanitarian access and the restart of the political process, the world has seen a glimmer of hope that the war in Syria would eventually come to an end, the statement said.

However, it added, medical supplies and equipment are still being removed at checkpoints, which is unacceptable.

"We are able to reach more people now in besieged areas, but we are yet to reach one in every five besieged Syrians who urgently need help and protection," the statement noted.

Around 500,000 people are stranded behind front lines in northern Syria's Homs and Aleppo, and 2 million people are still living in areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, it said.

It also called on all warring parties to stop attacking civilians, schools, markets and hospitals.

Over 250,000 Syrians have been killed during the five-year-old conflict, and more than half of its population were forced out of their homes, according to the statement.

"Syria today is a very different place -- almost unrecognizable in parts -- that will take generations to rebuild," the statement noted.

Signees of the joint statement include UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien, Executive Director of the World Food Programme Ertharin Cousin, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan, and Director-General of the International Organization for Migration William Lacy Swing. Endi