HIGHLIGHTS
- Approximately 1.2 million houses have been damaged or destroyed in Syria
- Relief organizations prepare for disease outbreaks in Syria and in neighboring countries
- USG partner supplies Aleppo bakeries with flour
- Fighting displaces Syrians in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud district
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Escalated conflict across Syria in recent weeks has resulted in more than 6,000 civilian, military, and opposition casualties in March 2013—the highest monthly death toll since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011—according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. According to the U.N., violence has stretched to new, densely populated urban areas—including throughout the capital city of Damascus—that mostly remained calm during the first two years of the conflict. Fighting between Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) forces and opposition groups has also intensified near the Jordan–Syria border.
The U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) recently estimated that the conflict in Syria has damaged or destroyed 1.2 million houses—approximately one-third of the total number of houses in the country. Approximately 400,000 houses have been completely destroyed, 300,000 have been partially destroyed, and 500,000 have sustained damages. The majority of housing damage has occurred in impoverished neighborhoods in conflict areas, such as Aleppo, Damascus, Dar’a, Dayr az Zawr, and Homs governorates, according to ESCWA.
The Syria Needs Analysis Project (SNAP) published its third Regional Analysis of the Syria Conflict report on March 28. According to report findings, relief organizations have been increasingly able to reach additional areas in need of assistance, either through routes from Turkey or across lines of control. However, conflict and rapidly changing security conditions continue to hamper relief efforts, and security incidents targeting ongoing aid distributions have increased. SNAP also reports further deterioration of humanitarian conditions, including an increase in internal displacement, significant need for emergency medical care, and the emergence of water-borne diseases.