UN relief chief concerned about serious impact of violence on civilians in Syria

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien, on Friday voiced grave concern at the current upsurge in violence across Syria and its impact on civilians.

He also called for an immediate end to the siege, used by warring Syrian parties as what he described as "a weapon of war."

O'Brien made the statement as he was speaking to the UN Security Council via video link from Geneva after he returned on Thursday from a visit to the Turkish town of Reyhanli, which houses Syrian refugees, just across the border from Syria.

"I remain particularly concerned at the upsurge in violence across various parts of the country and its impact on civilians," he said.

"Indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure -- including schools and hospitals, mosques and public markets -- continue with impunity and total disregard for international humanitarian law."

In early May, scores of civilians were killed and injured by striking two settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sarmada, Idlib in Syria, he said. "These were places where displaced people had sought sanctuary from the conflict. One of the strikes reportedly hit a school tent, resulting in the death of eight children."

Just this week, several terrorist attacks claimed the lives of more than 100 civilians in the coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous, he said, adding that more than 40 patients and accompanying family members were killed and 35 people injured when a suicide bomber walked into the Jableh hospital and detonated an explosives belt.

"An emergency doctor and two nurses died in that explosion with another 11 health workers wounded," he said.

"The continued use of siege and starvation as a weapon of war is reprehensible," said O'Brien, who is also the UN emergency relief coordinator. "We are continually monitoring the situation on the ground throughout Syria, and based on the latest information, we now estimate that some 592,700 people are currently living in besieged areas."

"These figures are shocking as they underscore the sharply deteriorating situation for civilians even while the Cessation of Hostilities is in place," he said.

In February, the U.S. and Russia have agreed on a "cessation of hostilities" between the Syrian government and groups fighting it in a deal that excludes the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and the al-Nusra Front.

Violence has been reported to resume in Aleppo, when the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups unleashed repetitive large-scale attacks on Syrian military positions in southern Aleppo. The attacks were intensified by shelling on the government-controlled parts of the city, as the rebels in eastern Aleppo were trying to advance into the western part of the city.

"The situation across Aleppo governorate also remains alarming for civilians," he said. "In northern Aleppo, just across the border from Turkey, the situation for tens of thousands of people is precarious, with many displaced multiple times this year alone as a result of heavy fighting between non-State armed groups and ISIL. That fighting is ongoing as of today and is likely to fuel further displacement and vulnerablity along the border areas."

"The punishment of civilians through besiegement tactics must stop immediately," he said. "The primary responsibility lies with the party who maintains the siege, and routinely and systematically denies people the basic necessities of life and freedom of movement."

"Let me be clear: protecting civilians and granting access should never be decedent on political negotiations or as a bargaining chip for ad hoc deals on the ground," he said.

"These are fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law and must be respected by the parties and all who support them." Endit