Nations from around the globe have pledged $9bn (£6.2bn) in aid to help Syrians affected by the five-year conflict.
At a donors’ conference in London, sixty countries committed to reach the $9bn target to help the 4.6 million refugees and 13.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called on those attending the conference to pledge funds to address the escalating humanitarian crisis.
He said:
“There is a critical shortfall in life-saving aid.”
EU nations pledged half the total, including $2.6bn from Germany, $1.7bn from the UK, and $1bn from France, and the US committed to $925m. Other countries that pledged funds include Australia, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Japan, the UAE, Austria, Switzerland, Estonia, Denmark, and Finland
The commitments come after the suspension of peace talks in Geneva and an escalating situation on the ground, as Syrian troops attack rebel positions north of Aleppo with the support of Russian air power.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu estimates that 70,000 Syrians have fled the Russian bombing campaign and have moved towards Turkey.
