AMMAN (June 27, 2018) — The recent military offensive in Southern Syria has pushed tens of thousands of civilians from Eastern Daraa to areas near the closed border with Jordan, where the humanitarian situation is dire and basic needs of women and children are growing by the day, according to local aid workers.
“The fierce bombardment of Eastern rural Daraa is putting the lives of civilians and humanitarian aid workers under direct threat. Newly displaced families are in need of the very basics, such as water, food and shelter. We have witnessed previous similar displacement in Syria and we fear that Daraa will have the same fate,” said Hamdi, an aid worker who works for a Syrian organization supported by CARE.
Another Syrian organization supported by CARE has reported that one aid worker was killed by shelling while he was on duty.
“Heavy fighting and the shelling of populated areas have led to large waves of displacement. Most of those displaced are women, children and the elderly, who now live in overcrowded shelters. These shelters lack the most basic necessities. Clean water is very scarce. People are in desperate need of shelter and water,” said Iman, another aid worker based in Daraa.
In areas where fighting has intensified, humanitarian workers have reported that they are no longer able to deliver much needed assistance to vulnerable populations. CARE’s partners are still distributing aid, including food and cash assistance, in other areas where the security situation allows it.
“Civilians are paying the price of another military offensive. What we have seen in Aleppo, Northern Rural Homs, and Easter Ghouta, is happening now in the South, where cities and towns are bombed daily, people are being uprooted and lack basic human necessities, such as water and shelter. CARE calls on all parties to take all necessary measures to safeguard civilian lives and allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need,” said Wouter Schapp, CARE’s Syria country director.
“We want to stress to all warring parties that international humanitarian law requires them to protect civilian infrastructure, in particular schools and hospitals,” he added.
The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people have been displaced since June 19 in Daraa Governorate.
CARE has provided aid in Syria since 2014, and has reached more than 2.7 million people. Our work is focused on food security, livelihoods, shelter, water and sanitation, and psychosocial support for people in crisis.
About CARE
Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside women and girls because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. That’s why women and girls are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education and health, create economic opportunity, respond to emergencies and confront hunger. Last year CARE worked in 93 countries and reached 63 million people around the world. Learn more at care.org.
Media Contact
Mahmoud Shabeeb, mshabeeb@care.org, +962-79-146-39-03, Skype: mahmoud.shabeeb_1 (based in Amman, Jordan)