UN calls on neighboring countries to take in more Syrian refugees in face of escalation
The U.N. refugee agency on Thursday called on Turkey and neighboring countries to take in more refugees from Syria, as hundreds of thousands flee the Bashar Assad regime's assault on northwestern Syria's Idlib province.
"We need an end to the fighting and access to safety to preserve lives," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi said in a statement. "I am also appealing for neighboring countries, including Turkey, to broaden admissions, so that those most in danger can reach safety," Grandi said.
It is estimated that there are currently over four million civilians in north-west Syria. More than half are internally displaced. Many have been living in displacement for years and have been forced to flee several times. Some 80 per cent of the newly displaced are women and children. Many elderly people are also at risk.