North-West Syria: Situation Report (15 March 2023) [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

After 12 years of conflict, at least 4.1 million people in the north-west are in need of humanitarian aid.

More than 103,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have been recorded in north-west Syria since the first earthquake struck on February 6.

More than 1.3 million people have been vaccinated against cholera in north-west Syria since the launch of the vaccination campaign, led by WHO and UNICEF, on March 7.

Multi-purpose cash, amounting to $6.4 million, has been distributed to 196,614 people living in 81 communities in Idleb and Aleppo in February.

The Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF) launched the first phase of its Reserve Allocation on 20 February, valued at least $30 million, to address life-saving needs.

2023 Earthquakes: In the context of 12 years of conflict

The earthquakes that struck on 6 February came at a time where Syrian communities are pushed to the brink as the country marks its twelfth year of conflict on 15 March 2023. For many Syrians, this is their twelfth year of living in displacement, marked by hostilities, poverty and an uncertain future. The earthquakes only added to the layers of suffering, damaging homes and critical infrastructures, including health facilities, and killing and injuring more than 13,000 people in the north-west alone.

For 12 years, humanitarian needs have continuously climbed and worsened in its severity. From 2021 to 2022, the number of people in need in north-west Syria has jumped by 20 per cent from 3.4 million to 4.1 million people – out of a population of some 4.5 million. The majority have been women and children. While the number remains at a similar level in 2023, the earthquakes have overstretched communities that have endured conflict for over a decade. Some 1.9 million people today continue to live in camps or self-settled sites in dire conditions, often with limited or no access to health services, clean water or electricity. In the aftermath of the earthquakes, numerous people outside of camps were rendered homeless as more than 10,500 buildings collapsed across the Idleb and northern Aleppo governorates.