Attachments
Situation Overview
Hostilities continue to be reported in the Menbij and Ain Al-Arab districts. The threat of a military operation in Kobani raises concerns about further instability in the area, and potential displacement if the operation proceeds. Throughout the past week, fragile ceasefire agreements have failed repeatedly to hold, although a full-scale operation has not yet been launched in this area.
As of 17 December, a total of 263 sites including municipal buildings, schools, mosques, stadiums, and residential buildings are being utilized as reception sites and Emergency Collective Centers (ECCs) to accommodate people throughout all areas of Northeast Syria (NES). These sites are currently hosting 44,395 individuals. NGOs on the ground are assessing these locations to verify the number of individuals staying there and are providing assistance based on the resources and funding available to them.
The needs in NES remain critical, with unconfirmed reports indicating that approximately 50,000 additional individuals may require assistance in host communities. The situation is complex due to the continuously changing geopolitical landscape, and as temperatures are expected to drop below zero at night in the coming days, this poses challenges in anticipating further movements of people to and within NES.
NES NGOs remain unable to access Menbij following conflict escalations over the previous weeks. Markets, electricity networks, health facilities, and other critical infrastructure are in need of repair.
As noted in the previous update, rapid fluctuations in the SYP-USD exchange rate have had a profound impact on the market, allowing vendors to exploit these changes by charging prices that far exceed the actual exchange rate.