Syrian refugees at Reyhanli Refugee Camp. Image courtesy of Syria Freedom
The UN have launched a $5 billion (£3.2bn) humanitarian campaign for Syria stating that by the end of the year half of the population of the war-torn country, 10 million people, will be in need of aid.
Four million children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance according to the UNICEF, the UN’s children’s agency. The organisation is warning of a lost generation of young Syrians.
Governments were criticised for being slow to commit funds to the UN’s previous $1.5 billion target earlier this year, but the worsening security situation has meant the number has had to be dramatically revised.
3.5 million people, nearly 20% of the country’s population, are expected to become refugees by the end of the year, with many of those having suffered violence, the loss of family and friends, and in need of food and shelter.
This report comes a week after the French government claimed that they had evidence that the Assad regime had used the nerve agent Sarin against the Syrian population, an action which US president Obama said would be a “red line” for possible US intervention. The White House have said they are evaluating the situation.
