Up to 1.5 Million People Could Flee Escalating Syr...

Up to 1.5 Million People Could Flee Escalating Syrian Conflict, UN Warns

Zim Now Writer

Up to 1.5 million people could be forced to flee their homes as violence intensifies in Syria, a senior United Nations official warned on Friday. The alarming forecast comes as rebel forces continue their rapid offensive against government troops.

Since late November, the renewed fighting has already displaced 280,000 people, according to Samer AbdelJaber, the World Food Programme's Director for Emergency Coordination. Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, he warned that the situation could worsen dramatically if the conflict's pace does not slow.

"If the situation continues evolving at this pace, we're expecting around 1.5 million people to be displaced and requiring urgent support," said AbdelJaber.

After years of relative stagnation along frozen frontlines, the insurgents have broken out from their northwestern stronghold in Idlib, achieving one of the swiftest battlefield advances in the 13-year-long civil war. The sudden escalation has compounded the already dire humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Humanitarian agencies are struggling to respond. Less than a third of the $4 billion requested for relief programs in 2024 has been raised, leaving aid efforts critically underfunded. Earlier this month, the U.N. said it had to cut food rations for Syrians by up to 80% due to the funding gap.

"The situation in Syria was already extremely difficult before this escalation. Now, we're facing a crisis on top of a crisis," AbdelJaber said, emphasizing the urgent need for additional financial support.

With millions of lives hanging in the balance, the U.N. and its partner organizations are calling on the international community to step up funding for emergency relief.

This latest wave of violence underscores the enduring human toll of the Syrian conflict, which began as a street uprising 13 years ago and has since spiraled into one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.