Syrian Arab Republic: Developments in Northwestern Syria and Ras Al Ain – Tell Abiad – Situation Report No.31 – September 2021 – Syrian Arab Republic

STRONG POINTS

• COVID-19 cases have risen sharply in northwestern Syria, with more than 1,000 daily cases recorded and schools temporarily closed.
• Since June, 99 civilians have been killed and 261 civilians injured in an escalation of hostilities (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – OHCHR).
• The needs of the population are far greater than those that the humanitarian community can adequately meet, especially as winter approaches. The latest plans show critical funding gaps on wintering, food and education.

PREVIEW

Access

• In September, the UN continued its cross-border operations from Turkey to the Bab al-Hawa border post under Security Council resolution 2585 (2021), delivering 433 trucks of humanitarian aid to the northwest of Syria. NGO assistance continued at high levels.

protection

• In September, hostilities continued in northwestern Syria. Airstrikes have increased along the front lines in southern Idlib, particularly in the Ehsem sub-district.
• In September, at least nine civilians (including three women and four children) were killed and 28 civilians (seven women and 10 children) were injured in airstrikes or bombings (OHCHR). 11 incidents of improvised explosive device (IED) and unexploded ordnance (UXO) killed at least four civilians and injured at least 28 civilians (including two women and seven children).
• In northwestern Syria, 97 percent of people live in extreme poverty (they are part of a household where each individual lives on less than $ 1.90 per person per day). Coupled with the low purchasing power of the Syrian pound (SYP), poor families struggle to meet their most basic needs.
• A follow-up study by the Cluster for Camp Coordination and Management (CCCM) shows that 91 percent of residents live in sites without adequate lighting on main roads. Lack of lighting is a protection issue, especially for women and girls. The study shows that most displacement sites are overcrowded with poor living conditions, which increases the risk of COVID-19. Syria is expected to be one of the countries most affected by the climate emergency, with prolonged droughts and flash floods. A third of the displaced people in the northwest – 500,000 people – live in sites that were flooded last year.