UN Urges Protection of Civilians as Fighting Continues in Aleppo

AFP

A shelling during the intense fighting between the government-affiliated factions and the internal security forces (Asayish) in Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods.

Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, has urged all parties involved in the fighting in Aleppo to prioritise the safety and protection of civilians amid ongoing hostilities in the city.

Speaking in a statement, Dujarric said the United Nations continues to closely monitor developments on the ground and remains in contact with all relevant actors.

“And in terms of Syria itself... I can confirm that we continue to follow the situation closely and remain engaged with all relevant parties,” Dujjarric said in statement. “We are aware of reports of casualties and injuries and underscore, once again, the imperative of protecting civilians as well as the infrastructure that they use. As of yesterday, our partners report that approximately 119,000 people have been displaced since renewed hostilities in Aleppo city.”

He added that UN agencies and humanitarian partners are providing emergency assistance to those forced to flee their homes as violence continues.

“UNHCR and partners are on the ground, providing assistance to displaced families in temporary shelters and host communities,” he added. “Support includes distribution of blankets, mattresses, and much-needed winter clothing.”

Dujarric stressed that urgent action is required to prevent further civilian harm and to uphold international humanitarian principles.

“We urge all parties to ensure the safety and protection of civilians amid the ongoing hostilities that we are seeing in Aleppo,” he said. “Immediate measures are needed to prevent harm, guarantee safe passage for those fleeing, and uphold humanitarian principles.”

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the death toll since the start of the attacks int the Kurdish neighbourhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo has risen to 39. Of those killed, 26 were civilians, including seven women and five children.

According to the SOHR, 20 people were killed in Sheikh Maqsoud, including five women and four children. In the al-Maidan area, four people were killed, among them two women and one child. Two staff members of Osman Hospital were killed in the Ashrafieh neighbourhood, while 13 members of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) also lost their lives.

The SOHR said that approximately 115 people, most of them women and children, were wounded during the violence. It also reported that 24 Damascus government fighters were killed in the clashes.

In addition, around 300 people remain missing, while more than 155,000 displaced civilians — the majority of them Kurds — are living in difficult humanitarian conditions across other parts of Aleppo and northern Syria.

In related developments, the Syrian interim government’s Ministry of Defence claimed that the SDF was carrying out military operations in the areas of Maskanah and Dayr Hafir, 50 kilometres east of Aleppo. The SDF firmly rejected these allegations, stating that it had investigated what it described as misleading claims by the Damascus Ministry of Defence regarding the situation on the ground.

In a statement, the SDF stressed that it had no troop movements or force build-ups in Maskanah or Dayr Hafir, describing the reports as baseless rumours. It added that current military movements in the region were linked solely to Damascus government forces.




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