Syria

One month after the 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes hit Türkiye and Syria on 6 February 2023, recovery response is still underway. The earthquakes severely affected northwestern Syria, where about 4.5 million people live. In Türkiye, the most affected provinces are Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazıg, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanlıurfa, where about 14 million people reside, including 1.8 million Syrian refugees. Two weeks after the initial earthquakes, on 20 February, two additional earthquakes of magnitude 6.4 and 5.8, respectively, hit southern Türkiye, in Hatay. 

On 6 February 2023 at 4:17h (GMT+03:00), a 7.8 earthquake hit the region of Kahramanmaras in southeastern Türkiye, affecting areas of southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria. Less than 12 hours later, at 13:45h (GMT+03:00), a 7.6 earthquake hit the same region. While the figures of people in need are still to be determined, 12 million people reside in the affected areas of southeastern Türkiye, including two million Syrian refugees. In Syria, more than six million have been affected. As at 12 February, the death toll in Türkiye and Syria was more than 29,600. This number is expected to continue to rise with current search-and-rescue efforts. 

Each year we take stock of our work and put together an annual report – you may have noticed we have published a variety of formats and layouts over the years, very much reflecting our own internal learning and evolution. This year we chose to provide four different perspectives on the global humanitarian situation. Within these pages you will find a comparative analyses of 14 of the major humanitarian situations with respect to the affected populations, people in need and humanitarian access; an analysis of three highly complex and evolving regional crises the sector grappled with over the year; and a spotlight on three severe crises that did not get sufficient attention in 2019. Finally, as the year comes to a close, we have identified a number of risks that may lead to a significant deterioration of particular crises in 2020. We hope you will find these perspectives informative and useful in your planning for 2020.

Conflict between the Government of Syria (GoS) and armed opposition groups has intensified since the beginning of 2019, and escalated since 28 April, in northern Hama governorate and southern Idleb governorate, causing a wave of displacement. Some 152,000 people have been displaced between April 29 and 5 May, the majority into northern Idleb and northern Aleppo. Military operations have caused a high number of civilian casualties. The humanitarian situation in the affected governorates is deteriorating, with ongoing clashes, airstrikes, and shelling. The majority of IDPs live in makeshift settlements and report acute multi-sectoral needs.

Escalation of hostilities between the Government of Syria and armed opposition groups have been ongoing since 17 June in Dar’a governorate, driving displacement within Dar’a and into neighbouring governorates. As of 2 July, over 270,000 people have been displaced, including at least 164,000 to Quneitra and 60,000 to the areas near Jordanian border. Urgent humanitarian needs, including shelter, food, WASH, and health, are reported, particularly in the areas bordering Jordan and Golan Heights. Fighting has resulted in casualties, disruption of services, and very limited humanitarian access.

Approximately 426,000 people living in besieged Eastern Ghouta are affected by protracted conflict and recent deterioration of access restraints. Despite the area being the part of the de-escalation agreement, the government forces renewed their airstrikes and shelling as of the end of September, which resulted in damage and loss of civilian infrastructure, hospitals, and schools. Clashes between armed groups controlling different parts of the territory compound the situation. The highest level of besiegement is reported in majority of the communities as of November, which results in severe shortages of food and medicine, leading to increasing cases of acute malnutrition. 

Our methodology uses 9 indicators grouped in 3 categories:
-    Access of humanitarian actors to affected population
-    Access of people in need to humanitarian aid
-    Security and physical constraints
Each category is measured through proxy indicators, such as violence against personnel, denial of needs, or active hostilities.
Data is collected at the country level and may therefore not show disparities between sub-regions.

The Syria Needs Analysis Project (SNAP) started in December 2012, as a collaborative project between ACAPS and MapAction, aimed at bring together available information on humanitarian needs in the Syria crisis. At the time, information-sharing and publications on the humanitarian situation were extremely limited; in this context, SNAP’s initial goal was to help create a shared situational awareness among humanitarian actors, which in turn would contribute to a better-targeted and more needs-based response and improvements in the situation of crisis-affected populations. Over 2.5 years, SNAP has pursued these goals with a combination of independent information products, technical support and capacity building for humanitarian assessments. At the end of 2014, the project name was changed to Strategic Needs Analysis Project, to reflect the growing need for regional and whole-of-crisis analysis following the declaration of an L3 crisis in Iraq. The project closed at the end of June 2015.

This dashboard features the high frequency conflict locations in May 2015.

This Regional Analysis of the Syria conflict (RAS) is produced quarterly and seeks to bring together information from all sources in the region to provide analysis of the overall Syria crisis. Part A II provides detailed analysis per governorate.

This Regional Analysis of the Syria conflict (RAS) is produced quarterly and seeks to bring together information from all sources in the region to provide analysis of the overall Syria crisis. Part A II provides detailed analysis per governorate.

This report gives an overview of the expected impact of the winter season in Syria, neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees, and Iraq.

The profile describes the current situation in Idleb, with regards to the conflict, the subsequent displacement situation and the humanitarian needs, where available per district.

This thematic report examines the potential capacity to reach populations in need of humanitarian assistance via the main border crossings to Syria from Turkey.

This document is the second governorate profile published by the Syria Needs Analysis Project (SNAP). The profile describes the current situation in Al-Hasakeh, with regards to the conflict, the subsequent displacement situation and the  humanitarian needs, where available per district.

This thematic report outlines the diverse range of actors currently working within Syria to provide humanitarian assistance. For the purpose of this report, assistance refers to all types of support given to people in need. The report provides an overview of the different groups of actors, their characteristics, capacity and limitations.

This thematic report provides an overview of available lessons identified from assessments undertaken concerning the humanitarian situation in Syria as well as the situation for Syrian refugees in host-countries. This report is based on conversations with individuals from different organisations working in the region. The document does not intend to provide a comprehensive list of all the issues that should be taken into account while conducting an assessment, but rather provides a starting point for organisations planning an assessment in Syria or the host countries. For more guidance on how to conduct an assessment please see the key resources at the end of this report.

This thematic report outlines the impact of the crisis on the economy and livelihoods in Syria. It covers the impact from a macroeconomic perspective, including the impact on GDP and Government budget as well as the consequences for international and national trade. In addition, it provides an overview of the livelihoods of Syrians and explains how they have changed as a result of the deteriorating economic and security situation.