ReliefWeb

Highlights

• Hostilities continued over the last 48 hours, however, no additional displacement was reported on 3 and 4 December. An estimated 31,500 people from east Aleppo remained displaced within the entire city of Aleppo throughout the last six days.

• On 5 December, three NGOs in east Aleppo suspended all their health and nutrition activities. This decision follows the killing of one humanitarian staff and the attack on an NGO warehouse.

• In west Aleppo, poor living conditions in the cotton factory shelter have prompted the vast majority of IDPs accommodated there to leave the shelter, and most of them now stay with family and acquaintances elsewhere in west Aleppo or in northern rural Aleppo. Out of an original 10,000 people in the cotton factory shelter, only 1,000 are remaining in the facility. Some 8,000 individuals continue to be housed in the collective shelter in the industrial part of Jibreen. Between 3 and 4 December, an additional 750 people joined the 500-600 individuals who had already moved into abandoned houses in Hanano, a neighborhood of east Aleppo recently come under GoS control.

• With the onset of winter, insufficient and inadequate shelter space is currently the biggest issue faced by IDPs. In addition, the need for more food distribution, particularly hot meals, and ready to eat meals, proper health care, especially for children, and increased protection requirements have been noted.

• Humanitarian actors are delivering a comprehensive response to the needs of the newly displaced in all areas they can access.

• With its plans to deliver assistance to besieged east Aleppo approved by the Government of Syria under the December convoy plan, the UN stands ready as soon as security and access guarantees can be obtained from all parties to the conflict. The United Nations will also provide humanitarian assistance to Kurdish-controlled Sheikh Maqsoud provided it receives authorization to do so in the light of complex security and bureaucratic procedures.

Situation Overview

Hostilities in the northern neighborhoods of east Aleppo (i.e. Masaken Hanano, Al-Entharat, Jabal Al-Badro, AlSheikh Najjar, Bustan Al-Basha, Al-Sakhour, Haydariyeh, Sheikh Khader, Sheikh Fares, Al-Basel, Al-Hellok) since 24 November have effectively returned this area to Government control and prompted the displacement of an estimated 31,500 people to multiple locations:

• Some 18,000 individuals were displaced to Jibreen, under GoS control.

• Some 8,500 individuals were displaced to Sheikh Maqsoud, inhabited and controlled by a Kurdish population majority.

• Some 5,000 individuals were displaced within besieged east Aleppo.

Since 3 December, no new displacement has occurred from east Aleppo, while sniping activities have been reported when residents aimed to cross into west Aleppo.

Initially, some 10,000 out of the 18,000 people who were displaced to areas under Government control were accommodated in a former cotton factory that had been converted into a temporary shelter. However, living conditions in that shelter proved to be unacceptable, as holes in the walls and ceiling let the cold and much rainfall into the facility, and the large halls have no partitions to provide the IDPs with some privacy. Therefore, some 9,000 IDPs left the facility to instead seek shelter with family members and acquaintances either elsewhere in west Aleppo or in northern rural Aleppo. Like in previous days, some 8,000 people remain accommodated in the Jibreen collective shelter, which exceeds that shelter’s capacity. An additional 1,250 families now reside in Hanano, a part of east Aleppo that was recently recaptured by the GoS. IDPs there reside in empty apartments, either their own, or abandoned ones, and received some plastic sheets and blankets from humanitarian actors as protective measures against the cold winter weather.

Moving forward, plans of the Governorate foresee that the cotton factory shelter will serve as a transitional centre receiving IDPs from east Aleppo. According to these plans, after an initial registration period, IDPs will leave the cotton factory to either go back to their homes in Masaken Hanano (if that is where they are from), join relatives in west Aleppo or go to other collective shelters in west Aleppo. The shelter in the industrial part of Jibreen will continue to serve as a collective shelter. According to the Governorate, Hanano and the 1070 and Ryadah neighborhoods should be rehabilitated as a priority to decongest the collective shelters in west Aleppo.

In the interim, the United Nations have increased their protection services in the current shelter facilities. Since 28 November, UNHCR has reached 2,165 adults with legal counselling and civil document interventions, 1,606 children and 238 adults received light psycho-social support, 23 unaccompanied children were screened and identified for follow up with case managers, and 6,000 children were reached with a variety of child protection services.

In Sheikh Maqsoud, at least 8,500 IDPs have been registered with the local SARC branch and were accommodated acrossfour different collective shelters. The distribution of food rations and NFIs through SARC is currently ongoing.

A more robust response is needed, particularly in form of the provision of hot meals and protection services. The United Nations stand ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Sheikh Maqsoud as soon as access permissions are received.

Little to no assistance could be extended to the 5,000 IDPs who were displaced within east Aleppo. Due to the siege and a lack of access approvals, the ability of humanitarian actors to respond has been severely limited at a time where resources inside east Aleppo are nearly depleted, following a period of almost five months without humanitarian deliveries. IDPs from east Aleppo interviewed by the UN described a catastrophic humanitarian situation in those neighborhoods under siege. Even basic food sources are scarce, and those items still available are being sold at highly inflated prices. For example, one kilogram of sugar is being sold for SYP 10,000/ USD 19.2, which is 22 times higher than the average price in west Aleppo, and one kilogram of rice is being sold for SYP 3,000/ USD 5.7, which is six times higher than the average price that is being charged in the western part of the city.

Bread availability in the remaining NSAG-held neighbourhoods remains a major concern as flour delivery to bakeries is currently not possible due to indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment. Medical facilities have mostly shut down with only a few operating at absolute minimum capacity. WHO’s partners have identified 400 cases in east Aleppo requiring urgent medical evacuations, and are still awaiting GoS approval to proceed with the evacuations.

During the reporting period heavy clashes continued in Karem Almeyasar and Shaar (west of Aleppo airport), Sheikh Said and Zahraa. Shelling on the NSAGs-held neighborhoods continued throughout the past 48 hours, however, no information on casualties could be obtained. On 4 December, eight mortar attacks occurred on west Aleppo. No casualties were reported.