UNITED NATIONS: UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has warned that the Syria crisis should not be overlooked despite its absence from news headlines.
"Syria is a hot conflict, not a frozen one," he said in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday. "Therefore, my message today is straightforward: concentrate on Syria. The current strategic stalemate on the ground, as well as Syria's absence from the front pages, should not lead anyone to believe that the conflict requires less attention or resources, or that a political solution is not urgent "He stated.
"In fact, a conflict of this magnitude necessitates a comprehensive political solution in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254." Airstrikes in the Northwest have resumed, and clashes around Afrin and the Northeast have intensified, he added, amid continued exchanges of rocket fire and shelling across all front lines, improvised explosive devices, car bombs, and other security incidents.
Terrorism remains a significant threat, with at least two designated terrorist organisations conducting operations or occupying territory. Pedersen expressed concern that Islamic State attacks have resumed after a brief lull in February.
Syria remains one of the world's most serious humanitarian crises. While the displacement in Ukraine is tragically catching up, Syria continues to have the world's largest displacement crisis, with 6.8 million refugees and 6.9 million internally displaced people. Syrians across the country are still suffering from a devastating economic crisis as a result of more than a decade of war and conflict, corruption, mismanagement, the Lebanese financial crisis, Covid-19, and sanctions – and now the economic fallout from the Ukraine conflict, he added.
According to the World Food Programme, the price of basic food items increased by an astounding 800% between 2019 and 2021.
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