Syria crisis spiralling out of control; flood of refugees overwhelming aid effort

Syria’s humanitarian crisis is spinning out of control, leaving relief organizations overstretched and struggling to cope with a massive surge in refugee numbers and with promised funds still yet to arrive on the ground, warns international humanitarian organization Oxfam.

Some 5,000 refugees are fleeing Syria every day, 36 percent more than were leaving in December last year. Many have just the clothes on their backs. The UN’s “worst-case scenario” forecast that one million-plus refugees will have fled Syria by June is likely to be realized within weeks.

Although $1.5 billion for the Syria humanitarian response was promised at a donor conference in Kuwait last month, only 20 percent of funding has been received.

“The humanitarian crisis is worsening day by day, leaving relief organizations struggling to provide help that’s desperately needed,” said Francis Lacasse, Oxfam’s Syria crisis response manager. “Money that was generously promised a month ago is urgently needed now, to allow organizations to continue providing basic services like food, water and shelter to ever-growing refugee populations.

“More than five thousand people are fleeing Syria into neighboring countries every day, placing a massive burden on the host communities and with the potential to undermine stability in the region.”

Since the conflict began almost two years ago, more than 925,000 Syrians have fled the conflict. Inside Syria, where more than two million more have been displaced from their homes, the costs of basic commodities have increased; health facilities have been damaged or destroyed; and contaminated water supplies have resulted in an increase in waterborne diseases such as Hepatitis A and typhoid.

Lebanon and Jordan, which host the largest numbers, are to be commended for keeping their borders open and continuing to provide assistance for the refugees, despite severely strained resources. This month, Jordan recorded its highest-ever figure with more than 50,000 new arrivals.

Refugee numbers have doubled in Egypt over the last three months, risen by almost one-fifth in Turkey since the start of the year, and Iraq already hosts refugee numbers much larger than it had forecast for the end of June.

In Jordan, more than 120,000 refugees are officially registered at the sprawling Zaatari desert camp, near the Syrian border. The camp, the size of a large city, is almost full to capacity. The massive influx is already creating tensions and conflict over sparse resources. The Jordanian government will need additional financial support to provide a safe environment for the refugees and its own population.

Aid organizations in the camp are also facing challenges because of the sudden upsurge in refugee numbers. Oxfam is installing water and hygiene facilities in what was meant to be a new, unfilled section of the camp.  But the fast-moving crisis has meant the organization has had to provide temporary facilities for thousands of refugees who have moved in before permanent facilities have been completed, creating extra work and adding to overall costs.

The Jordanian government is planning to open at least two new camps to house the refugees.

But most Syrians refugees live outside camps, scattered in towns and villages both here in Jordan and in other countries neighboring Syria, where it’s harder for them to access aid. Rental prices for housing have shot up, while health and school facilities have struggled to keep pace with increased demands, creating new hardships for both the refugees and their hosts.

“This is likely to be a prolonged crisis and relief organizations and governments need to prepare for the long-haul,” said Oxfam’s Francis Lacasse. “Even if there was an immediate halt to the violence today, there will be massive humanitarian needs that will need to be addressed for months and years to come. There is no quick fix.”

Humanitarian organizations recognize that host communities have been extraordinarily generous in helping the new arrivals, but tensions could arise in the future because of the increased costs of living, finding shelter and other services and limited job opportunities.

Oxfam teams are planning to assist 120,000 people in Lebanon and Jordan. Donations to support Oxfam’s efforts in Syria can be made here.