Celine Schmitt, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Syria, said tens of thousands of people were displaced in northeastern Syria due to recent “hostilities” between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
She added that about 80% of nearly 100,000 people displaced by the recent events in parts of Aleppo governorate have returned to their homes.
Some of those displaced from northeastern Syria are staying in camps, Schmitt said in remarks to UN News on Monday, 26 January.
She noted that UNHCR is trying to provide assistance in those camps to meet basic needs, including supplying tents so people can have safe shelter.
UNHCR is also working closely with local partners and local NGOs it cooperates with to assess needs and respond to the requirements of displaced people, Schmitt said.
“They are providing emergency assistance, especially during these difficult winter weeks,” she added, noting that this includes winter kits and protection support, such as mental health services and child protection services at community centers.
This comes after a 15-day ceasefire went into effect on 25 January, when the Syrian government announced the opening of two humanitarian corridors in al-Hasakah and Aleppo governorates. It also announced on Monday the opening of an additional humanitarian corridor near Sarrin town (eastern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria), to allow residents who wish to leave the area to do so.
Transitional Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa had announced on 18 January that an agreement had been reached for a ceasefire between the Syrian government and the SDF.
Aid in al-Hol camp
UNHCR visited al-Hol camp (in al-Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria). Syrian government forces deployed there confirmed to UNHCR their support for the agency and other humanitarian actors to assist camp residents and respond to humanitarian needs.
UNHCR field teams have returned to the camp and services have resumed. Bread distribution has started again, water distribution has resumed, and other services have restarted, including healthcare provided by other actors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has resumed its health activities, Schmitt explained.
She said UNHCR teams engaged with residents in the camp and that their priority is the return of these essential services, which is crucial because most camp residents are women and children.
Al-Hol camp shelters tens of thousands of people, most of them women and children, and many are alleged to have family ties to Islamic State fighters.
UNHCR has been in contact with the Syrian government for weeks and months to explore how the agency can contribute and work with the authorities to find solutions for the camp.
Schmitt added that UNHCR, and the UN more broadly, together with other actors and some NGOs, helps facilitate the return of camp residents to their homes and supports their reintegration, because “needs are very large once they return.”
1.4 million returnees to Syria
The UNHCR spokesperson said Syrian refugees continue to return to Syria, as do internally displaced people, noting that 1.4 million refugees have returned to Syria, while nearly 2 million internally displaced people have returned to their homes.
Returnees say they want to go back to their country and reunite with their families. They are returning because the reasons that drove them to flee are no longer present, she said.
She said UNHCR supports refugees who decide to return to Syria by providing transportation assistance and cash grants.
She also said UNHCR has a network of about 79 community centers across Syria, where protection assistance is provided, primarily access to consultations related to civil documentation.
She emphasized that mental health support is “very important,” along with organizing sessions to prevent gender-based violence, child protection activities, and support for small community-led initiatives.
Among UNHCR’s priorities is providing shelter for returnees and helping them access income and livelihoods.
Relief convoy
A UN-supported relief convoy arrived in Ayn al-Arab/Kobani (northern Syria) on 26 January, consisting of 24 trucks loaded with what the UN described as vital aid.
According to a UN statement, the convoy included food and health supplies, essential winter items, and other necessary humanitarian support for residents.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the convoy also included two fuel trucks allocated to resupply the Karakozak water station (near Ayn al-Arab/Kobani in the eastern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria), as a step aimed at helping restore water supplies to Ayn al-Arab/Kobani and surrounding villages amid ongoing service challenges.
The statement said five temporary shelter centers were established to receive displaced people, including centers in Aleppo city designated for people who choose to relocate there at this stage.
Fighting continues
Military clashes continue between the Syrian army and the SDF along the Ayn al-Arab/Kobani axis in the eastern Aleppo countryside, despite the ceasefire, amid mutual accusations of violations.
A military source within the Ministry of Defense told Enab Baladi on Monday, 26 January, that fighting continues between the army and the SDF on the Kobani front.
The source, whose name Enab Baladi withheld because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said the army’s advance is slow due to mines planted by the SDF in the area, as well as what he described as “fierce” resistance.
He said the SDF has intensified artillery strikes and drone attacks targeting the army in areas it recently captured around Ayn al-Arab/Kobani, noting injuries among army personnel and the destruction of vehicles due to SDF attacks.
Enab Baladi correspondents said the SDF struck Tal Ahmar village (east of Ayn al-Arab/Kobani in the eastern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria), causing two minor injuries among civilians.
Three civilians from the same family were also injured in the explosion of a landmine in Jada al-Samawat village (eastern Aleppo countryside, northern Syria), which Enab Baladi’s correspondent said was believed to have been planted by the SDF before it withdrew from the area.
Tens of thousands displaced in northeastern Syria as 100,000 return in Aleppo Enab Baladi.
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