WHO: More than 4.6 million Syrian children are food insecure
The World Health Organization said in its report: “malnutrition among Syrian children has reached new high levels after more than 10 years of war and displacement.”
The organization added: “in the last six months, the total number of food-insecure children across the country has risen to more than 4.6 million.”
The organization pointed out that over the past 11 years, northeast Syria has suffered enormously due to the ongoing crisis. The deterioration of health services, the economic crisis, and the decrease in purchasing power, coupled with the difficulty of accessing safe drinking water have all led to an increase in malnutrition rates.
The organization called for the need to take urgent measures to address malnutrition in northeastern Syria, and pointed out that about 700,000 children face starvation due to the continuous deterioration of the economy in the country.
It is noteworthy that last April, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned of the aggravation of malnutrition in many areas of northeastern Syria, stressing that malnutrition cases in Al-Hasakah Governorate increased significantly due to the increase in drought in the region.
Malnutrition cases have also increased north of al-Raqqa during 2021, due to the effects of the ongoing conflict, displacement and continuous economic deterioration, according to the organization.
