The number of Syrian refugees fleeing fighting in Syria has risen hugely in recent days.
Reports say number of refugees has surged to 10,200 for the period of seven days.
According to United Nations refugee agency, influx of refugees is expected to grow in the coming days.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that the amount of registered refugees seeking shelter at the Za’atri camp in Jordan has surged for the seven day period compared to just 4,500 last week.
“Refugees say many thousands more are waiting to cross amid violence around Daraa and we believe this could be the start of a much larger influx.” – Melissa Fleming, UNHCR spokesperson
Ms. Fleming also notes that some of the Syrian refugees who made it over the border are being targeted by aerial strafing and bombing operations.
She adds that refugees cross the border at night and are taken straight to the camp by IOM [International Organization for Migration] and the Jordanian army.
UNHCR reports that 1,147 refugees arrived yesterday morning and were followed by another 1,400 overnight and early this morning.”
In addition, the UN agency also received a surging number of unaccompanied minors to their camps over the past week.
Ms. Fleming reports that some children report that their parents have died, or are staying behind in Syria to look after relatives, or are working in other countries.
To address the fast pace arrivals of refugees, UNHCR has put up more tents and expanding the camp.
In addition, the turmoil in Syria is forcing more and more people from their homes, with 30,000 people believed to have fled Syria into neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq over the past week alone.
With growing influx of civilians fleeing from conflict, humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate.
Reports say up to 1.5 million Syrians are in need of assistance.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that civilians attempting to flee from fighting need urgent assistance and protection.
OCHA reported that aid agencies continue to face significant access constraints to reaching people in need.
In addition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that it needs additional funds of around $14 million for its response to the crisis in Syria. Along with its partners, UNICEF is providing assistance to Syrian children in need in areas such as health, nutrition, education and child protection.
UN estimates that there are over 1 million Syrians inside Syria in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Of that number, it’s an estimated 300,000 internally displaced.
There are over 66,000 refugees in neighboring countries and there are existing refugees, Palestinian refugees, totaling about 500,000 inside Syria as well as a hundred thousand Iraqi refugees inside Syria.
In terms of funding, the United States has dedicated some $33 million to support the important work to assist and protect those in need in Syria and neighboring countries, and much more is on the way.
US pproach is to work through international and nongovernmental organizations.
The ongoing conflict in Syria has created a severe and growing humanitarian crisis, and the humanitarian organizations currently operating in Syria are tirelessly working to get aid out as quickly as possible into areas where safety and security are questionable.
Aid workers in Syria are putting their lives in jeopardy every day to get this relief to vulnerable children, women, and men caught in this crisis.
To help meet the growing needs, the United States is providing food, clean water, basic healthcare, medical and other emergency relief supplies to benefit more than 400,000 people in Syria and neighboring countries so far.
One of US largest emergency partners right now is the World Food Program, which has been helping to reach a hundred thousand people per month in some of the most conflict-affected cities and zones since this conflict began.
World Food Program, WFP, is being distributed in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. So far, they’ve reached 11 of the 14 provinces in Syria, Ms. Capozzola cited.
With support from the United States and other donors, WFP has expanded its emergency food assistance to reach now 250,000 conflict-affected Syrians.
The violence in Syria, which began in March 2011 as a protest movement similar to those witnessed across the Middle East and North Africa, has claimed over 17,000 lives, mostly civilians, and displaced tens of thousands.
