KEY DEVELOPMENTS
· Fighting continued between Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) forces and armed opposition groups in Syria despite the four-day Eid al-Adha ceasefire brokered by U.N.–Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, which began on October 26. An initial decrease in violence enabled some displaced families in Aleppo neighborhoods to temporarily return home to survey damage and retrieve winter clothing and other supplies, according to international media sources. However, multiple car bombings and airstrikes in Damascus, Aleppo, and Dayr az Zawr cities and elsewhere effectively ended the ceasefire as of October 27, as parties to the conflict accused each other of violating the agreement. Despite the continued violence, U.N. agencies took advantage of the temporary ceasefire period to deliver humanitarian assistance to Homs, Aleppo, Ar Raqqah, and southern Al Hasakah governorates.
· As conflict continues, U.N. agencies estimate that an additional 1.5 million people in Syria may be in need of assistance in the coming months. The potential increase would raise Syria’s conflict-affected population from 2.5 million to 4 million people. At present, the U.N. estimates that 1.2 million people are internally displaced inside Syria, while SARG estimates of internally displaced persons (IDPs) exceed 3 million. In addition, nearly 390,000 people have fled from Syria to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, a figure that U.N. agencies expect to increase to 710,000 by the end of the year. The U.N. also reports that thousands of Syrians have fled to Europe and North Africa.
· On November 9, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) Kelly Clements announced that the United States Government (USG) is providing more than $34 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help those affected by the conflict in Syria. This assistance includes more than $5.6 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide winter relief supplies and other basic necessities inside Syria; nearly $16.7 million to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist Syrians displaced to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; $9 million to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF); $2 million to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP); $400,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); and $323,000 to the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA).