Syria

The Syrian Government has extended permission for the UN to use Bab al-Salam and Al Ra'ee crossings to deliver humanitarian from Türkiye to north-west Syria for three months, until 13 February 2024. Each month, about 2.5 million people are reached with critical assistance and protection services.

In Haiti, the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that since mid-August, violence in Port-au-Prince has forced about 40,000 people to flee from their homes. These recent movements bring the total number of displaced people across the country to 200,000.

Immediate de-escalation and a refocus on a credible political process that respects Syria’s sovereignty is urgently needed, said the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the country during his briefing today to the Security Council, emphasizing that the spillover into Syria of the violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory has already begun.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has relocated its main operations and staff to southern Gaza to continue aid operations. Since last night, the UN Secretary-General has been in constant contact with Israeli authorities urging them to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, visited Hroza today, less than 24 hours after an attack that killed dozens of civilians — calling it a barbaric consequence of the war that 20 per cent of a community can be wiped out in mere seconds. The UN is mobilizing humanitarian aid to civilians in the area.

The UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has launched a joint operation in Djugu Territory, in Ituri Province, with the Congolese Armed Forces against the armed group CODECO in response to recent attacks against civilians and the presence of CODECO members in the area.

On the situation in the Caucasus, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says it’s deeply concerned about the rapidly increasing number of refugees fleeing into Armenia, with long queues reported at the border.

An ever-deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis in Syria is leading to widespread hopelessness and suffering, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the country informed the Council today, underscoring the urgent need for a political process to resume.

The Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide expressed concern over the ongoing situation in the South Caucasus, in which it is reported that tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians have left the area for Armenia in the span of just a few days. All efforts must be made to ensure their protection and human rights.