Nearly a year after the height of a devastating government offensive that forced a million people from their homes in Syria's rebel-held northwest, doctors and aid workers are warning that the region's civilians, especially young children, face a new threat: rising hunger. In Idlib [7] province, the situation is worsened by mass displacement and a population already in dire need after years in the crosshairs of conflict—putting an estimated four million people [8], including 1.5 million [9] in camps, at particular risk of hunger and malnourishment.
But Idlib and the surrounding areas—which have been calmer since the Russia-backed government assault was halted with a March ceasefire [11]—are not the only part of Syria where hunger is a concern. Food prices have been rising across the country, alongside the economic impacts of COVID-19 and the freefall of the Syrian pound [12] that are plunging an ever-increasing number of people into poverty. Last month, government-subsidised bakeries began shutting down [13] in parts of the country controlled by President Bashar al-Assad, amidst a shortage of wheat.
Condensed from The New Humanitarian [14], Oct. 28
