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THE NUMBER OF Syrians in urgent need of humanitarian aid has jumped to 10.8 million — nearly half of Syria’s population of 22 million — United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said.
In his monthly report to the UN Security Council, Ban said that a total of 4.7 million Syrians are now in areas that are “difficult or impossible” for humanitarian workers to reach, including 241,000 in besieged areas.
That’s an increase from the previous estimate of 3.5 million people. The report warned that advances made by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in Iraq would only further worsen the situation in Syria.
“Efforts to expand humanitarian assistance to those most in need have been met with continued delays and obstruction,” the report said.
“Far from improving access, new procedures rolled out two months ago have resulted in more delays and reduced the reach of humanitarian partners further.”
Of the 10.8 million total people in need of aid — a 17 percent, or 1.5 million increase from previous estimates — about 6.4 million are internally displaced.
An estimated 160,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The report comes as Western powers work toward a new Security Council resolution that would guarantee the delivery of aid.
But in a letter to the UN Security Council, dated Wednesday, the Syrian mission warned it would consider any enforced cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid without prior agreement from Damascus as an “attack” on the state.
The letter, signed by Syrian and Arab lawyers, warned that the state must give consent for imports of any humanitarian aid.
“Importing aid in coordination with terrorist organizations and without consultation with the Syrian state would amount to an attack on the Syrian state,” said the letter.
It claimed it could be used as a “pretext for aggression.”
Syria opposes the delivery of cross-border aid that would send supplies directly to areas held by the armed opposition in its more than three-year brutal civil war.
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Let the the US/UK etc sort out the mess they instigated and created.
They can’t…they need their money for war.
If the middle east was peaceful, you’d say it was because the Arabs had got their independence. When they’re at war, you blame the UK/USA.
Robin…Iraq and Lybia were far better off before USA and UK illegally invaded and murdered their leaders. Saddam Hussein kept the lid on the dumpster in his own country. USA leaves nothing but bloodshed and destruction in every country they stick their noses in.
What rubbish. The coalition freed the iraqi people. The current conflict is a result of Saddam’s brutality, or keeping the lid on as you put it.
Coalition led by war criminal George Bush and Tony Blair based on a FILTHY LIE that was proven and admitted as untrue. The same dirty lies are spread about Bassar Al Assad to try and justify another dirty war. People are waking up to this filth.
Horgay and frank- you are both wrong.
Re Robin
You are deluded or mistaken. The ‘coalition’ in an unprovoked manner illegally invaded Iraq.
Declan Noonan….Myself and Horgay have more green thumbs….we must be right….
BTW show us the evidence that Weapons of Mass Destruction was found in Iraq…… You can’t because it was a filthy lie manufactured by war blood thirsty war mongers.
Frank, so your argument is based on how many green thumbs you get?! You are delusional.
You keep banging on about how illegal the war was. This is just a matter of opinion. Address the facts instead. Did the people of Iraq want the war or not?
Declan you keep avoiding the question……the evidence for Weapons of Mass destruction.
robin i was going to answer you in a well though out manner and actually put in some effort but between your jingoistic nonsense,3 lions crest and england hilariously getting knocked out of the WC i just got dizzy with laughter
Not sure why you can’t be thought (with a ‘t’) out because I’m English. I think this reflects more about your own prejudice than mine. Oh well, maybe when you’re a bit older?
no not because you are english,give it another read,it might sink in eventually
Some of you think that the Middle East was some sort of Utopia before 1980 or when ever it was that you were born. It was no such thing as anyone who worked and travelled to those backward festering fiefdoms can tell you.
Saddam Hussein wanted the world to think Iraq had WMDs.
Wall St and the bankers are not the US/UK
I’m sorry but we haven’t got the money for ourselves and should stop giving people In other countries what we DO have until such a time when Ireland is not struggling !
Yeah you’re right. There are literally thousands of irish people dying every day of starvation and disease. They deserve our priority. Oh wait that’s actually complete crap. Our economic problems are completely insignificant compared to what is happening in Syria and if you don’t see that you’re a complete fool.
The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
What I believe we should do is put a priority on these genuine refugees and immediately reject the ‘refugees’ who turn up by aircraft or boat with family from sub-Saharan Africa with claims of unverifiable persecution
@Sinead; I think it’s important that all countries keep giving what they can and that the UN does what they’re meant to do and move in en masse to set up safe zones. It’s quite obvious that any hardship being experienced by families here pales in comparison to what families in Syria are going through.
We’ve a history and are well respected as a country that never fails to provide humanitarian or volunteer in war-torn areas like Syria – surely we shouldn’t completely put an end to because of an economic recession.
Charity doesn’t begin at home. It begins with whoever is the worst off.
We’ll send it to Africa then so where they literally have NOTHING
The US provides humanitarian aid to Syria. It usually comes in the form of machine guns and chemical weapons.
I suppose the Irish Aid cheque for €20 million will be on its way by lunchtime followed by propaganda expressing the ‘grave’ concern of the minister and how he pleased he is that the oil producing Arab nations and Russia have pitched in €100 million, so as to emulate the free-flowing generosity of Ireland.
I think if you chaps look at the figures you will see that the USA is the biggest aid donor of all followed by the British as it is and not one of the Arab states with all their wealth appears in the top 25.
that pesky assad is at it again !!!!!!!
They have no oil so F&€K them!
Syria has oil and gas.
Look at the US and the UK. They’ve got defence budgets worth trillions. How many Americans and British ate killed in their own countries by terrorists.
They invaded Iraq, they bombed Libya. And for what? They give non lethal aid to the Syrian rebels. They supported the Kiev government. 250+ civilians have been killed in Ukraine more than the maidan and not a peep out of anybody. How many refugees have the Kiev government created? Or the Syrian rebels?
If the US and the UK gave 1% of there defence budgets to accommodate the refugees they create they’d be living in 5 star hotels.
The US aid budget is over 4% of the amount spent on defence so what’s gone wrong with the hotel arrangements?
If Irish Aid were to give €20 million to Tony Blair, he would sort it out in jig time. The ‘grave’ concern of the minister would be alleviated and some minor hedgehog in the OECD or UN would declare that the Irish are ‘brilliant’ / ‘fabulous’ / ‘absolutely fantastic’.
have your say