UN News Today 03 December 2024 |

Syria escalation: Deadly attacks continue

The ongoing escalation of violence in northwest Syria linked to the wider conflict in Gaza and Lebanon has left civilians dead and injured, hospitals “overwhelmed” with healthcare attacks on the rise, the UN warned on Tuesday.

Renewed fighting last week led by the terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other armed factions has engulfed parts of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama.

It has also destabilized frontlines that had remained unchanged since 2020.

From the UN human rights office, (OHCHR), spokesperson Jeremy Laurence reported “multiple civilian casualties, including a high number of women and children, stemming from attacks by both HTS and by pro-Government forces”.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Syria, Christina Bethke, said that referral hospitals were struggling to treat scores of trauma patients evacuated from Aleppo by first responders such as the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

Ms. Bethke explained that before the fighting erupted, Aleppo City which is home to over two million people, had more than 100 functioning health facilities:

“Today, fewer than eight hospitals continue to operate at minimal capacity and are overwhelmed…At the same time, yesterday’s airstrikes in Idlib caused significant damage to healthcare facilities, and that includes the University Hospital there, the Maternity Hospital and the local health administration.”

Sudan: IDP camp in Darfur reportedly shelled

To Sudan, where reports are coming in that a massive camp for people uprooted by war there has been shelled.

Zamzam camp – which is near besieged Al Fasher city in North Darfur state – hosts more than 500,000 people.

Famine was declared in the camp just over three months ago although a UN aid convoy did arrive there on 22 November.

Condemning the violence, the UN’s top aid official there, Clementine Nkweta-Salami said that she was deeply concerned by reports of indiscriminate shelling of the camp, its health clinics and the shelters of displaced people.

“Their protection is paramount,” she said, before noting that it has been more than 230 days since the siege of Al Fasher began, reportedly by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Their siege has resulted in “unacceptable levels of human suffering”, the UN aid official said, before issuing a reminder that civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected under international humanitarian law “and should never be a target”.

Sports initiative aims to break down barriers for people with disabilities

Sport is a great way to break down barriers between people and that’s exactly what a new UN initiative intends to do for children with intellectual disabilities.

To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the UN’s Education Cannot Wait is joining forces with global sports movement, Special Olympics International, to work with youngsters in emergency and protracted crisis settings.

The project aims to bring together students with and without learning difficulties through sport, to create an accepting school environment.

An estimated 22.4 million children and teens with disabilities in emergencies and protracted crises worldwide still face significant barriers to access, remain and advance in quality education, said Education Cannot Wait’s Executive Director Yasmine Sherif.

Disability is one of the most critical areas of marginalization, particularly in crisis settings,” she said, adding that the initiative aimed to show how to address the urgent need for “inclusive education for children with hidden potential in the world’s most challenging settings”.

Daniel Johnson, UN News

Music composed and produced by Joachim Harris. All rights reserved