LOC20:20
17:20 GMT
NEW YORK, Aug 28 (KUNA) -- Urging the UN Security Council to "do all it can" to end the conflict in Syria, UN deputy humanitarian chief Kyung-wha Kang on Thursday warned that the plight of Syrians "deepened" recently despite "some improvement.
"The advancement of the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (ISIL) is hindering the humanitarian operations," she told the Security Council as it examined Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's latest report on the humanitarian situation in Syria
"Over the past six months, the plight of people in Syria has not reduced but has deepened. The conflict continues unabated -- and the social and economic fabric of the country has been ripped to shreds," Kang said.
She noted that in Aleppo Governorate, a marked increase in the indiscriminate use of barrel bombs by the Government was registered in residential neighborhoods, and the opposition and extremist groups as well continued to launch mortar attacks against residential areas.
She also said that the number of people fleeing Syria in search of safety continues to increase, with almost one Syrian in two is now either internally displaced or a refugee.
However, she added, for the first time in six months, there has been "some improvement" in the past month on humanitarian access. "We are reaching more people in need" in hard-to-reach areas, across conflict lines and through border crossings, with nine UN shipments of food, water and medicines sent into Syria.
"Despite these developments, much more needs to be done by the parties to ensure that access is rapid, regular, safe and unhindered," she urged.
Kang warned that ISIL's advancement into central Syria is "taking the violence meted out to unprotected civilians to a new level," and continues to commit "horrific" atrocities against those opposing its rule.
"ISIL and the Al-Nusra front are advancing towards the border crossings of Bab Al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa along the main access routes in Syria," she noted, warning that "this could hinder the additional cross-border operations authorized under relevant Security Council resolutions.
"The rise of extremist groupsآ…threatens what remains of secularism and tolerance in Syria. Now more than ever before, the Council must do all it can to end the conflict and ensure that humanitarian access increases so that we can reach all those who are desperately in need in Syria," she said.
She also indicated that the funding situation for humanitarian operations in Syria is "particularly dire," adding that the Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan is severely underfunded with only 30 percent of the requirements met. (end)
sj.gb