Humanitarian Crisis in Syria Worsens Amid Escalating Violence
The humanitarian crisis in Syria is rapidly deteriorating, with U.N. investigators warning that escalating violence and a collapsing economy threaten to plunge the population into deeper despair.
According to an article published by VOA on September 21, Paulo Pinheiro, chair of the U.N. Syria Commission of Inquiry, emphasized that as global attention shifts to other pressing crises, Syria continues to descend into a quagmire of misery, with 16.7 million people—three in every four Syrians—now in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
The report outlines the grim reality faced by the Syrian population, noting that 13 years of civil war have resulted in widespread human rights violations. Internal armed conflict has been fueled by the Syrian state’s violent response to peaceful protests, leading to ongoing arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced disappearances. Militias are accused of committing severe abuses against civilians, intensifying fears of a large-scale war erupting across the region.
In northwest Syria, the report highlights ongoing conflicts between the terrorist organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and factions of the Syrian National Army. These groups have reportedly engaged in the arbitrary detention, torture, and disappearance of civilians perceived as political opponents. The situation in Idlib has become particularly alarming, with Syrian government forces conducting intensified attacks that have resulted in civilian casualties from unlawful strikes using cluster munitions in densely populated urban areas.
The commission’s findings indicate that over 150 civilians, including many women and children, have been killed or injured due to indiscriminate ground attacks by government forces, which violate international humanitarian law. The report also points to Russian airstrikes contributing to civilian casualties, raising concerns about the adherence to protective measures for non-combatants.
Syria’s ambassador to the U.N. dismissed the commission’s findings, questioning its impartiality and accusing it of promoting a biased Western narrative. In contrast, Pinheiro expressed alarm over heightened regional tensions stemming from the ongoing conflict in Israel and Lebanon, which have led to intensified Israeli airstrikes in Syria targeting Iranian officials and militias. These actions have caused civilian casualties and escalated hostilities between Iranian-affiliated groups and U.S. forces in northeast Syria.
The humanitarian toll of the conflict is staggering, with the U.N. reporting that more than 306,000 civilians have been killed since the war began in 2011. Nearly 14 million individuals have been forcibly displaced, with 7.2 million still within Syria and 5.6 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries and beyond. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reveals that approximately 13 million people face acute food insecurity, with upwards of 650,000 children under five suffering from stunted growth due to severe malnutrition.
