Latest news with #DavidCarden
Rudaw Net
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Attacks on civilians, restrictions have eased in Rojava: UN official
Also in Syria Rojava parties to hold intra-Kurdish conference Saturday US to establish two military bases in Kurdish-held areas of Syria: Rojava official German diplomat meets Rojava officials over Damascus talks, US pullout 16 ISIS suspects detained in Rojava's al-Hol camp A+ A- NEW YORK, United States - Attacks on civilians and infrastructure have eased in northeast Syria (Rojava) following a series of agreements between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria's interim government, a United Nations official said on Monday. This comes as efforts to restore essential services and facilitate the return of displaced Kurds gain momentum. 'What I sense is that certainly the attacks affecting civilians and infrastructure, as in the northeast, have receded, and movement restrictions have eased in parts of Aleppo city,' David Carden, Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, told Rudaw during an online press briefing. The SDF, de facto army of Rojava, reached an agreement with Syria's interim leadership earlier this month. The deal included a prisoner swap and laid the foundation for joint security oversight in Aleppo city, covering the northern Kurdish-majority neighborhoods previously held by the People's Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF. This agreement builds on a landmark March deal between Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi to integrate the SDF into Syria's state institutions. 'The good news is that the repairs… to Tishreen Dam, the repairs are happening and ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] and UNICEF are a part of that, and this is absolutely critical because it will enable the restoration of water and electricity to more than 400,000 people in east and Aleppo,' Carden said. Tishreen Dam, located on the Euphrates River, has been a strategic target of Turkish military campaigns since November. Turkey and Turkish-backed Syrian militias have sought to seize control of the dam to gain access to other SDF-held areas. At least 20 civilians have been killed by Turkish drone strikes in the surrounding region. In a bid to halt further attacks, the SDF and the new Syrian leadership in Damascus are in talks to transfer control of the dam to government-affiliated forces. The attacks have ceased for weeks amid these negotiations. In an interview with Al-Monitor this week, Abdi said that under the proposed framework, the dam will remain under the management of its current technical staff. Meanwhile, SDF forces will withdraw and station themselves eight kilometers away, while Damascus-aligned troops act as a buffer zone between the SDF and Turkish-backed groups. 'Thousands of people displaced in the northeast are preparing to return to Afrin,' Carden added. In early April, Azad Osman, a member of Afrin's local council, told Rudaw that Damascus-affiliated security forces had started assuming control of the Kurdish city of Afrin in northwest Syria, as militia groups and settlers began to withdraw. Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in March 2018, capturing Afrin from the YPG and placing it under the control of Turkish-backed armed groups. Since then, these groups have ruled with broad impunity. Kurds displaced by the 2018 invasion have increasingly returned to Afrin following the weakening of Turkish-backed forces and the entry of Damascus-affiliated security forces. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, told Rudaw on Monday that Guterres' message 'is about creating new structures in Syria that are representative of the mosaic that is the Syrian people, to ensure that there is accountability, to ensure that voices are heard.' In early April, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed a 23-member cabinet that included four members from minority groups. However, the cabinet appointments sparked criticism from some ethnic and religious communities, who said they were not consulted in the process. Several cabinet members have also been blacklisted by the UN and the United States for alleged ties to extremist armed groups. The new leadership came under further scrutiny in early March after violence in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria left around 1,500 people dead - mostly Alawite civilians - according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The deaths were largely attributed to the government or affiliated forces. In late March, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Rudaw that Berlin's support for the interim government in Damascus depends on its commitment to a democratic and inclusive political process, a stance echoed by other Western powers.
Scoop
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Syria Is ‘Brimming With Hope And Opportunity' : Senior UN Aid Official
Now is the time to invest in Syria, and support people returning to the country and their communities, the outgoing UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis said on Monday. 21 April 2025 'Today, we have a new Syria, one that's brimming with hope and opportunity,' David Carden told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York. He warned, however, that 'while the levels of conflict have subsided in many parts of the country, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is far from over,' as 16 million people require assistance. Cross-border mechanism The country is on a path to political transition following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December and the end of nearly 14 years of civil war. The country and neighbouring Türkiye were also hit by deadly earthquakes in February 2023. The UN is working with the transitional authorities in Damascus to develop more efficient procedures for aid delivery, address issues such as the lack of public funding, and further streamline procedures. Mr. Carden was speaking from across the Turkish border in Gazantiep, where a UN mechanism has delivered aid into northwest Syria and beyond for over a decade. He announced that his position will be officially abolished as of Tuesday – part of the UN's transition efforts aimed at streamlining coordinated response in Syria under the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Damascus, by the end of June. The current structure – which he later noted was 'rather unique in the global context' – involved having different coordinators outside Syria supporting the delivery of assistance into the country. More than aid delivery The top official briefed on the accomplishments of the cross-border mechanism, which was authorized by the UN Security Council in July 2014 to allow aid into areas in northwest Syria that were not under government control and home to more than four million people. The operation has facilitated the delivery of more than 62,000 trucks of food, medical supplies, emergency shelter and other aid, reaching millions of Syrians each month. ' So far this year, the UN has dispatched 936 trucks with aid for all of Syria through this cross-border modality, which is more than the whole of last year,' he said. Humanitarian support extended far beyond the delivery of relief items, he added. Over the years, the UN and partners have helped Syrians to rebuild their livelihoods while also advocating for the protection of civilians in the face of constant shelling and air strikes. They also carried out other activities, including rehabilitating homes, schools and hospitals, and providing critical health education and protection services. Additionally, the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund has allocated nearly $1.1 billion for life-saving and early recovery projects. 'Times have changed' Mr. Carden said this was possible through the continuous support of donors and the international community, particularly the Government of Türkiye which has been very supportive of the cross-border mechanism. 'Now, times have changed,' he said, pointing to the 16 million in need in Syria, or some 70 per cent of the population. Most are women and children, and over 40 per cent are in the northwestern cities of Idlib and Aleppo. Furthermore, despite a gradual increase in Syrian returnees this year, some seven million people are displaced making it among the world's largest displacement crises. Displacement and devastation 'Since last December, more than one million internally displaced people have returned, but most of whom were displaced in the last two months of 2024,' he said. 'Around 225,000 people have departed from camps, but this still represents only a small fraction of the two million people living in camps across northwest and northeast Syria.' Last month, Mr. Carden visited a former frontline area in Idlib and spoke to returnees as well as aid partners working to clear minefields and destroy explosive remnants of war. The devastation there 'was absolutely overwhelming and more severe than anything I witnessed following the 2023 earthquakes,' he said. Meanwhile, the UN and partners 'are doing what they can with the resources available,' but lack of funding is deeply alarming. Invest in Syria Humanitarians are seeking $2 billion to support Syrians through the end of June and have so far secured just $179 million – less than nine per cent of the funding needed. ' This is the time to invest in Syria, as the country is in a pivotal stage of transition to help shape a more self-reliant future for its people and to support safe and dignified returns,' said Mr. Carden. He expressed hope that 'the humanitarian phase will be as short as possible so we can move towards recovery and reconstruction and, in that context, see the further easing of sanctions.'
Scoop
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Syria Is ‘Brimming With Hope And Opportunity' : Senior UN Aid Official
21 April 2025 'Today, we have a new Syria, one that's brimming with hope and opportunity,' David Carden told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York. He warned, however, that 'while the levels of conflict have subsided in many parts of the country, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is far from over,' as 16 million people require assistance. Cross-border mechanism The country is on a path to political transition following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December and the end of nearly 14 years of civil war. The country and neighbouring Türkiye were also hit by deadly earthquakes in February 2023. The UN is working with the transitional authorities in Damascus to develop more efficient procedures for aid delivery, address issues such as the lack of public funding, and further streamline procedures. Mr. Carden was speaking from across the Turkish border in Gazantiep, where a UN mechanism has delivered aid into northwest Syria and beyond for over a decade. He announced that his position will be officially abolished as of Tuesday – part of the UN's transition efforts aimed at streamlining coordinated response in Syria under the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Damascus, by the end of June. The current structure – which he later noted was 'rather unique in the global context' – involved having different coordinators outside Syria supporting the delivery of assistance into the country. More than aid delivery The top official briefed on the accomplishments of the cross-border mechanism, which was authorized by the UN Security Council in July 2014 to allow aid into areas in northwest Syria that were not under government control and home to more than four million people. The operation has facilitated the delivery of more than 62,000 trucks of food, medical supplies, emergency shelter and other aid, reaching millions of Syrians each month. ' So far this year, the UN has dispatched 936 trucks with aid for all of Syria through this cross-border modality, which is more than the whole of last year,' he said. Humanitarian support extended far beyond the delivery of relief items, he added. Over the years, the UN and partners have helped Syrians to rebuild their livelihoods while also advocating for the protection of civilians in the face of constant shelling and air strikes. They also carried out other activities, including rehabilitating homes, schools and hospitals, and providing critical health education and protection services. Additionally, the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund has allocated nearly $1.1 billion for life-saving and early recovery projects. 'Times have changed' Mr. Carden said this was possible through the continuous support of donors and the international community, particularly the Government of Türkiye which has been very supportive of the cross-border mechanism. 'Now, times have changed,' he said, pointing to the 16 million in need in Syria, or some 70 per cent of the population. Most are women and children, and over 40 per cent are in the northwestern cities of Idlib and Aleppo. Furthermore, despite a gradual increase in Syrian returnees this year, some seven million people are displaced making it among the world's largest displacement crises. Displacement and devastation 'Since last December, more than one million internally displaced people have returned, but most of whom were displaced in the last two months of 2024,' he said. 'Around 225,000 people have departed from camps, but this still represents only a small fraction of the two million people living in camps across northwest and northeast Syria.' Last month, Mr. Carden visited a former frontline area in Idlib and spoke to returnees as well as aid partners working to clear minefields and destroy explosive remnants of war. The devastation there 'was absolutely overwhelming and more severe than anything I witnessed following the 2023 earthquakes,' he said. Meanwhile, the UN and partners 'are doing what they can with the resources available,' but lack of funding is deeply alarming. Invest in Syria Humanitarians are seeking $2 billion to support Syrians through the end of June and have so far secured just $179 million – less than nine per cent of the funding needed. ' This is the time to invest in Syria, as the country is in a pivotal stage of transition to help shape a more self-reliant future for its people and to support safe and dignified returns,' said Mr. Carden. He expressed hope that 'the humanitarian phase will be as short as possible so we can move towards recovery and reconstruction and, in that context, see the further easing of sanctions.'
