ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Fighting in northern and northeastern Syria (Rojava) must stop to allow humanitarian workers to reach civilians, a senior UN refugee agency official told Rudaw on Monday, adding that more than 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced amid renewed insecurity.
Rula Amin, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the Middle East and North Africa, said that “more than 4,000 families are sheltering in collective centers in [Rojava’s eastern] Hasaka province alone,” while thousands more are staying with relatives or host communities.
She added that “according to some statistics, the total number of displaced persons exceeds one hundred thousand in northeast Syria, but the figures are not accurate,” warning that displacement will continue as long as security uncertainty persists.
The latest wave of displacement has unfolded despite a fragile ceasefire brokered by the US, which took effect on Tuesday and was intended to last 15 days to facilitate the transfer of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees from prisons run by Rojava’s de facto army, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to Iraq.
The truce followed deadly clashes that erupted in mid-January, after the Syrian Arab Army and affiliated armed groups advanced into areas previously liberated from ISIS by the SDF.
Nonetheless, on Monday, the Kurdish-led forces accused Damascus and affiliated militants of violating the ceasefire at least 20 times since its announcement. The SDF also accused these groups of carrying out a “massacre” near Kobane, as fighting escalated near the symbolic Kurdish city in northern Syria and across parts of the Hasaka countryside.
“What displaced persons and all civilians in Syria need most is safety and security,” Amin said, adding that “stopping the fighting and reducing security tensions is the greatest demand of all Syrians and displaced persons.”
UNHCR has been operating in Syria for years, providing assistance to people forced to flee fighting and violence, Amin told Rudaw, lamenting that ongoing instability and movement restrictions continue to limit humanitarian access.
“The people there, trapped in this complex security situation, need water, food, and electricity. Their needs are great, and everyone must act to provide for them,” Amin said.
Harsh winter conditions have intensified suffering and reduced families’ ability to cope with displacement, she added, affirming, however, that UNHCR teams will remain on the ground in Qamishli, Hasaka, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa until conditions improve and despite funding shortages.
Of note, Qamishli in Hasaka has increasingly become a primary destination for displaced Kurds fleeing front-line areas and newly contested territories, with unofficial figures suggesting that around 5,000 people have arrived in the city over the past 10 days.
The following is the transcript of the full interview with Rula Amin:
Rudaw: What are you doing to support displaced people in northeast Syria?
Rula Amin: The commission [UNHCR] has been on the ground in Syria for years, helping everyone who needs assistance, especially those who were forced to flee from battles and war during the past years, and now they are at the core of our work. The commission works on multiple fronts, trying to reach them with what we describe as needs, sometimes life-saving relief supplies - there are winter necessities, blankets, mattresses, winter clothing. My colleagues on the ground in Syria are also working to protect these displaced persons who were forced to flee their homes in search of safety and security.
We try to reach everyone we can, but of course, you realize that the situation on the ground is complex, the security situation is unstable, and this limits freedom of movement and our ability to reach everyone. One of the key things that the commission urges and encourages all parties to do is to secure safe routes for all relief organization workers so they can reach these people. Yesterday, there was a convoy belonging to the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations with 24 trucks loaded with food, basic relief supplies, winter clothing, blankets, covers, winter necessities, plastic sheeting for shelters and tents.
All of this was headed yesterday from Aleppo to Kobane and Ain al-Arab, and this was done in coordination with all parties, especially the Syrian government and authorities there. We work so that there will be other convoys because the situation there is very difficult, and the people there trapped in this complex security situation, need water, need food, need electricity. Their needs are great, and everyone must move to provide them with these needs.
Of course, what displaced persons and all civilians in Syria need most is safety and security. I mean, stopping the battles and reducing security tension is the biggest demand of all Syrians and displaced persons, of course. Harm to civilians during these times must be avoided, harming them must be avoided, their protection must be guaranteed, and assistance must reach them.
Do you have any information on the situation of Kobane and its people, alongside the people who seek shelter there?
Of course, I'm talking about the security situation, but their situation is, of course, difficult. We're talking about a situation where, according to reports we receive, there are power outages, internet outages, sometimes water shortages - they need food, need blankets, winter necessities. We know now it's the height of winter, meaning there are harsh, cold conditions, there is snow, and this means people's needs become greater and their ability to cope with displacement becomes less, so helping them is very, very, very necessary.
The situation, as you know, is complex - there are movement restrictions, it's not easy to reach this area, but we're trying and working to have other convoys in addition to the convoy that arrived yesterday to provide more assistance.
How is your work progress in establishing a safe passage? What obstacles are you facing?
[in English] Of course, you know to transport aid, whether to people in Kobane and Ain al-Arab or northeast Syria, where we have thousands of people, who … [in Arabic] to relay… I am speaking in English because the translator translates in English. But relaying this assistance, considering the security situation, is not easy. There is a concentrated military presence on the roads, there are obstacles, and the displaced find difficulty in transporting and moving. There are more than 140 in Hasaka; they are present in more than 140, what we call, collective shelters, but there is… extreme cold, they need relief supplies and food. We try to reach them, but the matter is not easy.
We coordinate with all sides on the ground, and we always urge them to provide security for the relief organizations so we can reach everyone. The security situation is stable now with the ceasefire, but most of the displaced people and residents of northeast Syria are afraid and anxious. They are not sure how things will turn out. Will fighting be renewed? Will the ceasefire be upheld? When will they be able to return to their homes? Will their displacement period be extended? This leads to a lot of anxiety and tension between the families. They need heaters, they need… the congestion is also a matter that largely affects their ability to adapt. That is why we say that we need the shooting fighting to stop, ensuring safety and security in Syria. This is the demand, most likely, of all Syrians. You know that after years of war and battles, the people are exhausted. There are more than seven million displaced people all over Syria, and they have a lot of needs.
The biggest need is stability, for security and safety to be established, for them to feel safe and be able to return to their homes, their villages, their cities - this is the wish of most Syrians. Many Syrians long to live in peace, to rebuild their homes, rebuild their lives. Therefore, the commission, in its dialogue with parties inside Syria, with parties outside Syria that have influence or fund relief organizations, always emphasizes that establishing security and safety in Syria and restoring stability is the biggest demand of all Syrians. Even displaced Syrians always long to rebuild their lives, but they need support and need a stop to all these worrying matters that tamper with their security - they want a permanent ceasefire, they want political solutions, they want to rebuild their villages and cities, and to send their children to schools safely. Of course, this is the demand of most Syrians, and efforts must be combined in this direction.
There are some reports of people dying due to the cold, including children. What are your statistics on deaths due to the dire humanitarian conditions, and how many of them are children?
Regarding the death of these children due to cold, unfortunately, we don't have confirmed reports, and I cannot confirm these reports, but what I can confirm is that any displaced person, any person trapped, any family trapped in an area with fighting or security tension - the challenges are great. They don't have sufficient supplies to strengthen and protect their children from cold, to protect their children from battles, from bullets, from bombs. They want to protect their families as a first goal, secure food for them, secure warmth for them, secure heaters, gas, kerosene - all basic demands. The snowstorm and rain increase the difficulty of their situation, and their needs will intensify, and there will be great suffering. Therefore, we always emphasize and repeat: stop the battles, reach political solutions, protect civilians, secure them, and secure assistance to them - this must be the priority.
The situation is very difficult. May God help these people, especially the displaced among them. I mean, to be in a tent or shelter in these extremely cold days is very exhausting and tiring and leads to catastrophe.
What is the number of displaced people?
You mean in northeastern Syria?
In general, yes.
Yes, in the situation, there are, of course, thousands of families forced to be displaced. There are more than 4,000 families in shelters in Hasaka; there are thousands of families being hosted by their families, relatives, friends - meaning they are in cities and villages. The number, according to some statistics, exceeds one hundred thousand, but the figures are not accurate, and every day this security tension continues, and there is uncertainty about stability, more people will be forced to be displaced.
We were working before these events to encourage people and help them return to their homes and villages. Now we have a new wave of displacement in Syria, and this is the last thing we wanted. Efforts must focus on stopping displacement and stopping the battles that force people to leave their homes. On the contrary, establishing security and working on security stability and providing safety and security for families means they will be able to return to their villages and cities, and this is the broader goal.
Until that happens, we are on the ground - my colleagues are in Qamishli, in Hasakah, in Deir ez-Zor, in Raqqa, trying to reach everyone who needs assistance. But of course, as you know, there is a shortage of funding, and the security situation on the roads perhaps doesn't help in reaching everyone who needs assistance quickly, but we're trying and will continue to reach everyone if we can.