Many displaced people are now facing dire conditions, with no access to basic goods [Getty]
The United Nations has urged for humanitarian support after noting that over 176,000 people in southern Syria have been displaced from their homes and are facing dire conditions.
A representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, pushed for a surge of humanitarian aid.
In a statement published on Friday evening, he said that UNHCR teams are working with other UN agencies to assess the emergency situation, adding that conditions there are terrible and “many people have been forced to walk long distances to reach safer areas, and they are now completely dependent on humanitarian aid”.
He explained that the UNHCR is aiming to intensify its support along with other humanitarian agencies, through the distribution of supplies, providing services to protect people, psychological support and care for affected children.
According to Vargas Llosa, relief supplies have already been distributed to 3,570 displaced people so far, while 2,500 emergency kits have been sent to Daraa and the Damascus countryside.
An additional 2,000 kits have been sent to Suweida, where a recent bout of fighting between the local Druze community and Bedouins resulted in the killing of nearly 1,000 people.
The fighting, which erupted on 13 July, quickly escalated into bloody confrontations with government forces and tribal fighters later getting involved.
According to local media, the clashes resulted in field executions, the burning of homes, and looting of property.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said at least 814 Syrians, including 20 children, six medical personnel, and two media personnel, were killed. An additional 903 others were injured, with varying degrees of severity.
The UN this week said that infrastructure and services are suffering under extreme strain following the fighting and subsequent displacement.
Many hospitals and health centres have already been rendered out of service, while critical water infrastructure has also been damaged. Electricity, too, has been disrupted, while many civilians struggle to gain access to food.
