UN says half of Syrians will need humanitarian aid by 2013 end

Nearly half of the Syrian population will need humanitarian aid by the end of 2013, the United Nations humanitarian agencies have said.

The agencies said the relief work will cost more than five billion dollars.

According to news24, the new forecasts include more than a doubling of the refugee population to 3.45 million from 1.6 million, who are now spread across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP), which has delivered 500 million meals in Syria so far this year, expects its weekly costs to rise from almost 20 million dollars now to 36 million dollars after September.

It said that is falling short of about 725 million dollars in funding.