Syria
Rescuers search the rubble of buildings for casualties and survivors in Besnaya village in Syria’s Idlib province in February 2023. Photo: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Humanitarian organizations on Tuesday warned about the soaring humanitarian needs in Syria on the first anniversary of the quake, urging the international community not to forget about the war-torn country.
The earthquake in Syria killed over 8,000 people, but due to the conflicts raging within the country, the number of dead might be higher than the reported numbers.
In a press release on the first anniversary of the quake, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said that “the earthquake last year added immense pressure on both the humanitarian response and the already fragile systems in northwest Syria.”
“As we remember the thousands who lost their lives one year ago, we are urging the international community not to forget about Syria. The crisis in Syria is about to enter its 14th year,” said Tanya Evans, the IRC’s Syria country director.
The humanitarian situation in Syria was “catastrophic” even before the earthquake according to the IRC.
The IRC reported in August, six months after the quake, that there are around 4.1 million individuals in northwest Syria who require ongoing humanitarian aid, with women and children constituting the majority of this group.
“Today, a staggering 16.7 million people require humanitarian assistance. This shocking number comes against the background of a bleak funding outlook and conflicts raging across the globe. This trend must urgently be reversed,” read a joint statement by the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis Muhannad Hadi on the anniversary of the quake.
Some residents of the rebel-held northwestern Syria resorted to selling their remaining properties to rebuild their collapsed homes.
A Kurdish citizen of Jinderes told Rudaw on the condition of anonymity that he has sold 50 olive trees from his orchard to be able to rebuild his home, which was destroyed in the quake, adding that he has not received any aid from humanitarian organizations, “not even one Syrian lira.”
Today, a year later, the consequences of the quake continue to affect the daily life of children and families. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), almost 7.5 million children across Syria remain in need of humanitarian assistance.
UNICEF says it requires $401.7 million dollars in funds for its programmatic activities in Syria for 2024, which include the provision of essential services for 8.5 million people, including 5.4 million children.
“In Syria, the humanitarian situation for children and families continues to worsen. Without more humanitarian efforts and resources to restore essential services like education, water and sanitation systems, children in Syria will continue to face a vicious cycle of deprivation and crisis,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement.
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