Syrians facing increased suffering, hardships after 10-year war: UN report

Syrians are facing increasing suffering and hardship due to the deadly consequences of over a decade of war, the latest United Nations (UN) report warned.

The 50-page report, issued by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said on Wednesday that millions of people in Syria are suffering and dying in displacement camps, while resources are becoming scarcer and donor fatigue is rising.

"Syria cannot afford a return to larger-scale fighting, but that is where it may be heading," said Commission chair Paulo Pinheiro.

According to the report, which covers the period January 1 to June 30 of this year, there was continued fighting in the north of Syria.

The latest UN estimates show that between March 1, 2011, and March 31, 2021, the conflict in Syria claimed the lives of 306,887 civilians. This means that on average, 83 civilians have died in the conflict every single day for the last decade, Xinhua news agency reported.

The armed conflict in Syria broke out in 2011, and rapidly escalated into a full-scale war. In recent years, delegations from the Syrian government and its opposition have held several rounds of peace talks in Geneva, but solutions have yet to be found.

--IANS

int/khz/