UN Says 370,000 People Displaced By Escalation In Syria

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has estimated that since the escalation of hostilities in Syria, at least 370,000 men, women and children, boys and girls have been displaced, including 100,000 who left their homes more than once.

In his daily press briefing, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, stated that most of the displaced are women and children. "Tens of thousands of people have now arrived in north-east Syria."

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and NGOs operating in the north-east estimate that between 60,000 and 80,000 human beings have been newly displaced, including more than 25,000 currently hosted in shelters.

These shelters are filling up as soon as they are assigned. With these sites now at capacity, people are sleeping on the streets or in their cars in sub-zero temperatures as winter is setting on.

The UN is working with our humanitarian partners in the north-east to assess the needs of families who have arrived at reception centres.