UN Chief Voiced Concern Over Escalation Of Violence In Syria

Antonio Guterres

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 10 (NNN-SANA) – UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is greatly concerned by the recent escalation of violence in North-west Syria, including shelling and airstrikes, which has resulted in civilian deaths and casualties, in and around camps for internally displaced persons, in Idlib governorate, said a spokeswoman yesterday.

Guterres called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from escalating the situation, said Stephanie Tremblay, an associate spokesperson for the secretary-general.

Guterres called for calm and reaffirmed the need for a nationwide cease-fire, as called for in Security Council Resolution 2254, she told a daily press briefing.

On Tuesday, Tremblay said that, at least 121 civilians had been killed and 210 others injured, in North-west Syria this year. Humanitarian conditions continue to decline, due to ongoing hostilities and a deepening economic crisis. Some 4.1 million people – 80 percent of them women and children – rely on UN aid, to meet their most basic needs.