Clashes resumed on Tuesday between General Security Forces of the transition Government and the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, following a brief lull after a ceasefire announced in late December. The fighting initially broke out near the Alleramoon roundabout on Aleppo’s western outskirts before spreading into the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh.
Shelling has also affected surrounding government-controlled areas, causing significant damage to homes and public infrastructure. According to UN agencies, at least three major hospitals have been forced to suspend operations due to the violence, further straining an already fragile healthcare system. Flights in and out of Aleppo International Airport have been halted since Tuesday, disrupting civilian movement and humanitarian access.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Wednesday that the Secretary-General is alarmed by reports of civilian deaths and injuries following the renewed hostilities in the city’s northeastern districts.
The UN has reiterated that all parties are bound by international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. It has urged all actors to immediately de-escalate, exercise maximum restraint and take all possible measures to prevent further harm to the civilian population.
The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that approximately 30 000 people have been displaced by the latest fighting. More than 2 000 families have reportedly fled to the Afrin district, while around 1 100 people are sheltering in nine collective centres inside Aleppo. Thousands more have fled Ashrafiyeh and Ash-Sheikh Maqsoud, seeking refuge with host communities elsewhere in the city.
Local authorities have designated several places of worship as temporary shelters, opened humanitarian corridors to facilitate civilian evacuations and mobilised public buses to transport displaced families. The UN has continued to call for a political solution to prevent further civilian suffering and renewed instability.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
