The United Nations warned on Friday of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria, calling for urgent action for the people.
“Today, after 12 years of conflict, an economy crippled by runaway inflation, a currency that has collapsed to an all-time high and food prices soaring, 12 million people don’t know where their next meal will come,” the World Food Program (WFP) said in a statement.
The UN agency said an additional 2.9 million people are at risk of falling into hunger, meaning that 70% of Syria’s population may soon be unable to feed their families.
“If we don’t address this humanitarian crisis in Syria, things will get worse than we can imagine,” warned WFP chief David Beasley, who is on a visit to that country.
“Is another wave of mass migration like the one that swept across Europe in 2015 what the international community wants?” the UN official wondered, adding: “If not, we must urgently seize this opportunity to avert impending catastrophe and work together to bring peace and stability to the Syrian people.”
Food prices have increased nearly twelvefold over the past three years. Syria now has the sixth highest number of food insecure people in the world, with 2.5 million severely food insecure, and their lives are at risk without food aid. Child and maternal malnutrition is increasing at a speed never seen before, according to the UN.