Displaced families face dire conditions in Jazira shelters

For the third consecutive time, residents of Afrin and al-Shahba have been subjected to harsh waves of displacement as a result of the ongoing attacks launched by mercenaries of the Syrian interim government, with the support of the Turkish occupation, on areas of the North and East Syria Region and neighborhoods of Aleppo.

Thousands of displaced people have been forced to head toward areas of Jazira Canton, coinciding with the military escalation witnessed in the canton and in Kobani.

The displaced families are living under extremely difficult humanitarian conditions, as they have been sheltered in a number of schools that lack the most basic requirements of life, amid an acute shortage of food supplies, blankets, heating means, and essential medical necessities—especially in light of the cold weather, which has doubled the suffering of children and the elderly.

Despite limited capabilities, the people of Jazira have shown remarkable solidarity with the displaced, hastening to welcome them and provide material and moral support by supplying blankets and foodstuffs, in an effort to alleviate their suffering, alongside the efforts exerted by the Autonomous Administration within the available means.

ANHA agency's cameras documented poignant humanitarian scenes that embody the depth of the tragedy, as dozens of families spread out on the floor inside nearly empty rooms containing nothing but simple blankets that barely protect them from the harsh winter cold.

The images show families huddled together under blankets seeking warmth, and mothers trying to calm their children despite the harsh conditions. Some women resorted to heating water on makeshift stoves, while one child carried his small bird to be his companion on the journey of displacement.

These scenes reflect the scale of the humanitarian disaster imposed by the ongoing attacks and reveal a tragic reality in which the displaced are deprived of the most basic necessities of life.

ANHA