UN demands Syria allow urgent aid to 13.5 million people
Security Council resolution says 6.5 million are internally displaced, 393,700 trapped in besieged areas
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution demanding that all combatants in Syria allow the urgent delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to more than 13.5 million people.
The resolution expresses “outrage” at the escalating violence in Syria and extends the authorization for cross-border aid deliveries without government approval until Jan. 10, 2017.
The council said it was “gravely distressed by the continued deterioration of the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria.”
Of the more than 13.5 million people in need of food and medical assistance, it said 6.5 million are internally displaced, 4.5 million including Palestinian refugees are living in hard-to-reach areas, and 393,700 are trapped in besieged areas.
The council also expressed grave concern that extremist groups are hindering aid deliveries.
The International Organization for Migration said Tuesday that its statistics show the number of people fleeing conflict or poverty who have arrived in the European Union by sea this year has hit the one million mark.
Most people arriving in Europe are now entering Greece after taking short trips on rickety boats or inflatable rafts from Turkey. The IOM says more than 820,000 came that way in 2015, many fleeing the wars in Syria and Iraq. As winter closes in, the colder weather appears to have slowed the flow somewhat, although this is unlikely to last long.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.