Numbers climb to nearly 100,000
Lebanon / Refugees from Syria / Syrian refugees in front of UNHCR truck receiving supplies. Tripoli, Northern Lebanon. / UNHCR / F. Juez / 26 March 2012
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The conflict in Syria has killed from 10-15,000 people, but it has also created a massive, and growing, refugee problem.
Humanitarian agencie have registered an average of more than 500 Syrian refugees a day since March, for a total of 96,000 registered people.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said Thursday that the original appeal in March was for $84.1 million “but increasing numbers of refugees meant US$193 million would now be needed”.
“The governments and host communities of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have shown tremendous generosity and hospitality to Syrian refugees,” says Panos Moumtzis, UNHCR’s Regional Coordinator for Syrian Refugees. “It is essential that the international community steps up its support for relief operations for refugees.”
Three-quarters of the refugees are women and children, with most “entirely dependent on life saving humanitarian assistance,” according to Moumtzis.
The appeal is currently only 26% funded.
Iraq has 6,000 registered refugees, well above earlier expectations of 1,500. Jordan has more than 27,000 registered with UNHCR but local charities estimate that around 50,000 Syrian refugees are currently receiving assistance. Lebanon has 29,000 or more registered refugees and Turkey 33,000.
The Syrian refugee aid plan “is a result of the coordinated efforts of 44 international and national agencies involved in responding to the needs of Syrian refugees in four countries, as well as support to host communities,” the UNHCR says in a statement.
“This includes UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), as well as host governments and local and international NGOs.
UNHCR and partners continue to assist some 90,000 refugees (majority Iraqi) in different parts of Syria.”
