Syria: We will continue to respond wherever we can, says UN aid chief

“We will respond wherever, whenever, however we can to support people in need, including reception centres – food, water, fuel, tents, blankets,” said Tom Fletcher, Emergency Relief Chief and head of the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.

The dramatic development in the Syrian capital follows a lightning advance by armed opposition forces, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on 27 November from their stronghold in the country’s northwest into Government-controlled areas.

After sweeping into Syria’s second city, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and now Damascus have fallen in quick succession, despite suggestions that the Security Council-designated terrorist group lacked the means to sustain their stunning gains.

Also responding to the news on Sunday, UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen highlighted the “14 years of relentless suffering and unspeakable loss” that Syrians had suffered, as their country was torn apart in a conflict that began as a peaceful protest against the Government, only to draw in regional and international forces which have stymied the efforts of the Security Council to end the fighting.

“This dark chapter has left deep scars, but today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one – one of peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians,” he said in a statement.

Transfer of power  

The UN negotiator also issued an appeal for the new rulers in Damascus to ensure a stable transfer of power and to maintain the country’s institutions. This was the “clear desire” of millions of Syrians, Mr. Pedersen insisted, so that they can ultimately see their “legitimate aspirations” fulfilled “and restore a unified Syria, with its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in a way that can receive the support and engagement of the entire international community”.

In the immediate aftermath of HTS’s reported victory and declaration to the millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict that “a free Syria awaits you”, news reports indicated that opposition forces met little resistance in taking Damascus, while President Bashar Al-Assad was believed to have flown out of the capital to an unknown destination.

Years of fighting between Government troops reinforced foreign State-backed fighters against opposition forces including ISIL extremists – now essentially pushed out of Syria – have resisted repeated calls for peace via several rounds of UN-led negotiations in Geneva.

Insisting that Sunday’s developments marked “a watershed moment in Syria’s history”, UN Special Envoy Mr. Pedersen stressed the need to “prioritize dialogue, unity and respect for international humanitarian law and human rights” as the Syrians “rebuild their society”.

We’ll be updating this fast-developing story all day…