WFP has emergency food stocks in case of Idlib conflict

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said Friday it has enough food to feed 850,000 people for a week should any conflict arise in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province.

“Anticipated conflict in the northwest governorate of Idlib could trigger major displacement within Syria and towards the northern border with Turkey,” WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel told a news conference at the UN’s Geneva Office.

“WFP has emergency food stocks ready to be deployed,” Verhoosel said.

He said: "Between its pre-positioned stocks inside Syria and cross-border deliveries via Turkey, WFP has enough ready-to-eat food for 850,000 people for one week, and nutrition supplies to support 180,000 children and women for up to three months.”

Verhoosel said that millions of Syrians have been suffering hunger and poverty over the last seven years, and warned food insecurity was “alarmingly high” as displacement across the country continues.

“Some 6.5 million people in Syria are food insecure and another 4 million are at risk of becoming so -- twice as many as last year,” he said, adding that 1.2 million people have been displaced -- some of them multiple times -- in 2018.

Also speaking at the conference, the UNICEF’s spokesperson in Geneva, Christophe Boulierac highlighted the challenges the children in Idlib face in terms of education.

“In areas that are still seeing violence including Idlib, clashes may put an end to children’s schooling,” Boulierac said.

Boulierac emphasized that an estimated 400,000 children, including 70,000 internally displaced students, began the new academic year on Sept. 1 despite the many deficiencies at schools.

“Schools and students have severe shortages in supplies, including textbooks, desks and fuel. 400,000 textbooks are still lacking and nearly 7,000 classrooms need to be rehabilitated. Over 2,300 teachers’ posts are currently vacant,” he added.

He also said in refugee-hosting countries such as Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, “UNICEF’s education programmes are also severely underfunded” with a 59 percent gap ($517 million).

The Syrian regime has recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive to the area, which is controlled by various armed opposition groups.

Russian warplanes on Tuesday pounded civilian and opposition targets in Idlib.

On Tuesday, the UN’s humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".