HIGHLIGHTS
UN delivers assistance to 50,000 IDPs at the Syria–Jordan border berm for the first time in six months
UNSC reauthorizes cross-border humanitarian access to Syria through January 2019
Relief agencies evacuate 29 critically ill patients from Eastern Ghouta
Relief agencies reach 810,000 people in HTR and besieged areas with assistance
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
On January 8, the UN commenced an operation to deliver a one-month supply of humanitarian assistance, via crane, for approximately 50,000 people at the informal Rukban settlement, located along the Syria–Jordan border berm. During the one-week operation, the UN plans to provide food and emergency relief commodities, including winter-specific items, for onward distribution by local leaders at the settlement.
In early December, Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) and Government of the Russian Federation (GoRF) forces escalated attacks on northwestern Syria’s Hamah and Idlib governorates, prompting more than 71,500 people to flee the governorates in December and January, according to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian CCCM activities, comprising UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders. Relief agencies are addressing the priority needs of affected populations, including food, health care, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support, the UN reports.
In late December, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) evacuated 29 critically ill patients from Rif Damascus Governorate’s SARG-besieged Eastern Ghouta region to Syria’s capital city of Damascus, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports.
As of December 19, an estimated 2.9 million people were residing in UN-identified hard-to-reach (HTR) areas of Syria, including nearly 417,600 people living in besieged locations. The figure represents a decrease of approximately 77,600 people since late September.