“A dramatic humanitarian situation”. That is how Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi defined the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people from the Syrian city of Aleppo, which has been under fire from the Syrian army for days now. Terzi pointed out Italy’s commitment to helping the refugees taken in by Jordan by, inter alia, sending a field hospital that can treat 100 injured people a day.
The European Union’s Commissioner for humanitarian aid, Kristalina Georgieva, also spoke of a “humanitarian tragedy”. She urged Syria to spare civilians, especially women and children, and called for “humanitarian pauses” between the bouts of fighting. Hence the appeal to the United Nations Security Council to take action to support these requests. “Humanitarian aid should not be taken hostage” by the conflict, she underscored.
Two million displaced people in Syria
According to the international agencies, there are 2 million displaced people in Syria, while at least 130,000 refugees have fled the country – arriving as far away as Algeria. According to the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), hundreds of civilians are desperately seeking refuge in schools, mosques, and university halls of residence. Those who have managed to flee Aleppo, the major city of northern Syria, did so some days ago. About 200,000 Aleppo residents are thought to have fled to the countryside, which itself is by no means safe.
Obama-Monti talks
The situation in Syria was one of the issues discussed during a telephone conversation between American President Barak Obama and the Italian Premier, Mario Monti. As the White House explains in a note, Obama expressed his fears over Syria and highlighted the need for close collaboration between the United States and its European allies to keep up the pressure on Assad’s regime and support the Syrian population.
