Fighting in Hama province displaced 40,000 people: UN
Around 40,000 people in Syria's Hama province, mainly women and children, have been displaced as a result of fighting between Syrian opposition fighters and regime forces, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The displaced have fled areas in north-west Hama to districts in Homs, Latakia and Tartous provinces, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
"Some internally displaced people (IDPs) are at risk of further displacement as the front lines continue to shift," the statement warned.
Last week the Syrian opposition launched a wide-scale offensive on the countryside of Hama.
"Of the total [number of] newly displaced people, an estimated 30,000 people moved to Hama city and Masyaf in Hama and Wadi Nasra in Homs. An estimated 9,000 people moved to Mashta Elhiu, rural areas of Banyas, and Tartous city in Tartous province," the statement added.
Meanwhile, U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura called for assistance from Russia, Iran and Turkey to reach a ceasefire agreement in Syria on Saturday, indicating that the increasing violence in Syria threatens the Geneva peace talks, and urged the three countries to assist in providing the truce.
De Mistura also asked for support of the opposition by sending letters to Moscow, Tehran and Ankara, while indicating the concerns result from the increasing violence in Damascus and Hama regions. He also demanded that these states take immediate measures to establish a cease-fire. Another 425 people from 85 families have been displaced to Latakia.
The statement added that increased clashes between the opposition and the Syrian army in northern and western Hama have put civilians at risk of injury, death and displacement.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings with unexpected ferocity. Since then, more than a quarter of a million Syrians have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to U.N. estimates.
The displaced have fled areas in north-west Hama to districts in Homs, Latakia and Tartous provinces, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
"Some internally displaced people (IDPs) are at risk of further displacement as the front lines continue to shift," the statement warned.
Last week the Syrian opposition launched a wide-scale offensive on the countryside of Hama.
"Of the total [number of] newly displaced people, an estimated 30,000 people moved to Hama city and Masyaf in Hama and Wadi Nasra in Homs. An estimated 9,000 people moved to Mashta Elhiu, rural areas of Banyas, and Tartous city in Tartous province," the statement added.
Meanwhile, U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura called for assistance from Russia, Iran and Turkey to reach a ceasefire agreement in Syria on Saturday, indicating that the increasing violence in Syria threatens the Geneva peace talks, and urged the three countries to assist in providing the truce.
De Mistura also asked for support of the opposition by sending letters to Moscow, Tehran and Ankara, while indicating the concerns result from the increasing violence in Damascus and Hama regions. He also demanded that these states take immediate measures to establish a cease-fire. Another 425 people from 85 families have been displaced to Latakia.
The statement added that increased clashes between the opposition and the Syrian army in northern and western Hama have put civilians at risk of injury, death and displacement.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings with unexpected ferocity. Since then, more than a quarter of a million Syrians have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to U.N. estimates.
Last Update: March 29, 2017 01:19