Syria crisis

Two Oxfam aid workers were today killed in an attack at 2 pm local time in Dar’a governorate in southern Syria, between Nawa and Al-Yadudah.

Wissam Hazim, Southern Hub Staff Safety Officer, and Adel Al-Halabi, a driver, were both killed when their vehicle was attacked by a so-far unidentified armed group.  An Oxfam volunteer was also injured.

 

 

Oxfam and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) today called on the government of Syria to facilitate the approval of aid delivery, while also calling on international donors to engage with government ministries to improve access and provide flexible funding for the overall aid response to crisis-affected families in Syria.

This paper explores the lessons learned by the Norwegian Refugee Council and Oxfam in more than ten years of combined operational experience from Damascus which can inform and improve the overall aid response in Syria.

As the Syrian crisis enters its tenth year, four million Syrians in Idlib and northern Aleppo continue to suffer, simply awaiting the worst to happen, says Oxfam.  Many displaced Syrian across borders tell Oxfam how their lives have been disrupted and destroyed.

In reaction to recent developments at the UN Security Council regarding the cross-border resolution for Syria, Oxfam said:

“The UN Security Council failure to renew the cross-border resolution puts the lives of millions of Syrians at risk.  Families in great need, many of whom have been forced to flee multiple times during the crisis, rely on the aid provided by UN cross-border operations. Without the resolution renewal, there is no realistic way of reaching hundreds of thousands of these families caught in fire, which risks leaving them abandoned at a time of great need.  Members of the Security Council must urgently return to discussions and ensure that all people in need across Syria can get humanitarian assistance in the most effective way possible.”

Thousands of Syrians forced from their homes due to the recent fighting in Dar’a are unable to get the help they desperately need.

Donors and governments must bring change for the millions of vulnerable Syrians by following through on previous commitments to protect displaced people and fund the aid response.

Oxfam, CARE International, International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children have called for more international action from world leaders meeting in Brussels at a conference to discuss the Syria crisis.

More than 300,000 civilians in Aleppo and an estimated 60,000 in the Manbij area, Syria, are cut off from aid despite promises made to open full access to aid across the country six months ago.

This briefing sets out Oxfam’s challenge to world leaders who fail to resolve conflicts, permit warring parties to ignore International Humanitarian Law, and do everything possible to keep the world’s refugees and displaced people from their doors.