UN stepping up humanitarian efforts in Syria

UNITED NATIONS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is stepping up its efforts to address the needs of people affected by weeks of ongoing hostilities in Afrin district in northwest Syria, a UN spokesman said Monday.

The ongoing fighting has resulted in death and injury, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and further displacement, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a daily briefing.

A UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent inter-agency convoy to Tal Refaat on Sunday delivered food, nutrition, health and core relief items for 50,000 people in need who have fled Afrin district in recent weeks, he said, adding that the team also carried out a needs assessment in Tal Refaat and surrounding areas.

An estimated 183,570 men, women and children are estimated to be have been displaced. The massive influx of displaced people is putting a strain on host communities, which are already overwhelmed, Haq added.

Meanwhile, nearly 55,000 civilians from Eastern Ghouta are currently being hosted in seven collective shelters in Rural Damascus. "This is a displaced population that has endured months with limited access to food, medical care or other essential items," said the spokesman.

"While humanitarians are bravely doing all they can to respond to the needs of people who have been displaced, they also need access to people still trapped inside Eastern Ghouta, in Duma in particular, where fighting and besiegement continue," he said.

In this regard, "the UN calls on all parties to fully respect international humanitarian and human rights law, to guarantee the protection of all civilians in Eastern Ghouta and to ensure immediate humanitarian access to those in need," he said. Enditem