Syrian Arab Republic: Syria ǀ Flash Update #10, Humanitarian impact of the military operation in north-eastern Syria, 26 - 28 October 2019
Highlights
• On 29 October, the 150-hour period referred to in the 22 October Memorandum of Understanding ended; this followed an announcement on 27 October that Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were redeploying away from the Turkish-Syrian border to be replaced by Government of Syria (GoS) border guards.
• In southern Ras al-Ain, heavy clashes between Turkish-affiliated armed forces and the SDF continue, with fighting also taking place in north-west Manbii as well as Ein Issa. Localized incidents using improvised explosive devices also occurred in Suluk and Ras al-Ain during the reporting period. Clashes were also reported in other areas.
• On 26 October SARC conducted a cross-line mission to Alouk water station to rotate the maintenance team deployed to monitor the station. Two subsequent missions (on 27 and 29 October) were aborted due to insecurity on the road. Ongoing maintenance is essential to maintain functionality of the water system servicing 400,000 people in Hasakeh city.
• To date, 105,574 people, including around 44,340 children and 26,400 women of reproductive age, remain displaced from Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa and Aleppo governorates; 96,855 people returned to their places of origin. Forty per cent of those returning have returned to areas now under the control of Turkish Armed Forces in Tal Abyad, Ein Issa, and Suluk sub-districts in Ar-Raqqa governorate.
• More than 12,000 Syrian refugees have entered Iraq through informal crossing points; the influx has overwhelmed the capacity of the recently-opened Bardarash camp. More than 800 people are now being accommodated at Gawilan transit site.
• On 27 October, the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria launched a Syrian Humanitarian Fund (SHF) reserve allocation of US $15 million to support partners responding to the crisis.
Contextual developments
Despite recent agreements between parties in northeast Syria pointing to a cessation of hostilities in the area, and the SDFs’ announcement on 27 October to accept the terms of the Sochi agreement, localized fighting continued. Heavy clashes were reported between the Syrian National Army (SNA) and SDF/GoS forces in southern Ras al-Ain. The SNA is reportedly advancing towards Tal Tamr where GoS forces are present. Advances along the M4 continue. While no major population movements or casualties were reported as a result, these developments continue to create anxiety among civilians and negatively impacts humanitarian access.
