The appalling attack on April 4 on civilians in Idlib shows the ongoing horror for people inside Syria and lays bare the mirage of the nominal ‘ceasefire’. People in Syria need more than the words of concern and condemnation which we heard today – there must now be an immediate impartial investigation into the attack, and parties responsible must be held to account. The long line of atrocities against civilians in Syria must be brought to an end. The attack is an urgent wake-up call that shows why talk of returning refugees to Syria is at best premature, and in fact outright dangerous.
More than six years since the start of the Syrian war, the intense fighting in Syria has forcibly displaced more people today than any other country. Every day, thousands of Syrians flee violence to seek out food, protection, medical care and other urgently needed aid. There are 13.5 million people inside Syria displaced or in desperate need of humanitarian aid. At least half of the displaced are children. The majority of the nearly 5 million refugees are struggling to meet the most basic needs, having left everything behind.
As of 19 Jan, 2017, UNHCR had registered in 655,496 Syrian refugees in Jordan with UNHCR Jordan’s resettlement operation, the largest in the world. WFP reports relatively high levels of food security in pockets of Jordan and the process of Syrians obtaining valid work permits if ongoing. Moreover, there are approximately 93% of Syrians who live outside of camps living under the Jordanian poverty line. A large proportion of refugees are women and children.
Additionally, the executive order banning Syrian refugees from entering the U.S. puts the lives of those fleeing conflict and persecution at immediate risk. CARE is reaching people impacted by the conflict with humanitarian assistance in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen and inside Syria, providing life-saving emergency assistance as well as solutions to help people cope with the longer term crisis. CARE projects include wash facilities, running water, electricity and suitable shelter especially in the winter months and healthcare. Additionally CARE has also established a food security program, protection support for the refugees, and preventive campaigns of sexual-based violence.
