“The soul of Aleppo is still there, and there is optimism and there is hope,” said Sajjad Malik, UNHCR Representative in Syria.
UN agencies are rushing to provide urgent aid to the civilians of Aleppo and are finding fledgling signs of optimism for the future, according to Sajjad Malik, Representative of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Syria.
Malik had been in the city assessing the needs of its civilians and organizing aid after the siege of the eastern parts of Aleppo ended last month.
“We need to help people in east Aleppo to at least start rebuilding their lives and livelihoods,” he added.
The brutal fight for Aleppo, which lasted over four years, ended last month when government-backed forces re-established control over the ancient city, and evacuations of citizens were arranged. There are now tentative hopes that the warring sides will engage in peace talks to bring the broader civil war to a close.
Among the estimated 1.5 million people now in Aleppo, UN agencies have access to about 400,000, the same number that is estimated as displaced in the city. Some families have settled with friends and family. However, many thousands are sheltering in damaged buildings or informal settlements.
UNHCR, other UN agencies and partners have been focusing on immediate assistance. The priorities are shelter, food, fuel, winter clothing, water and sanitation, medical support and civilian protection for a population scarred by years of conflict. The UN currently has just over 100 staff in Aleppo, working with partners including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, as well as Syrian NGOs and local authorities. A small part of Aleppo still lacks access to aid, primarily due to the presence of unexploded ordnance, and support is urgently required to help safely remove these hazards.
In a statement last month, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said there was still a “grave risk” that displacement and suffering would not stop at Aleppo, but would be repeated in other wars. “For the sake of civilian protection everywhere, Syria’s conflict must be ended, now, and without delay,” he said.
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