Damascus, Syria – The UN refugee agency said on Friday that more than 170,000 people have been displaced across southern Syria amid intensifying violence and deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the UNHCR Representative in Syria, said in a post on X approximately 176,000 people have been forced to flee their homes across Suweyda, Daraa, and Rural Damascus.
Based on emergency assessments conducted in coordination with other UN agencies, conditions on the ground were described as “dire.”
“ Many persons have walked to safety and are now reliant on humanitarian assistance,” Vargas Llosa said, noting the agency is scaling up its support across affected areas by distributing emergency supplies, offering protection services, and providing psychosocial and child-focused assistance.
UNHCR has so far delivered emergency kits to 3,570 displaced persons, with 2,500 additional sets sent to Daraa and Rural Damascus, and another 2,000 kits delivered to Suweyda.
Related: UN Warns of Health System Collapse in Southern Syria’s Suweyda
Vargas Llosa emphasized that UNHCR has maintained its presence in Suweyda throughout the crisis and continues to operate community centres offering core protection services. These include emergency psychosocial support and child protection activities.
He stressed that ensuring safe access for humanitarian actors is critical to saving lives and called for continued international support as displacement figures rise and needs grow.
The displacement surge follows a sharp uptick in violence in southern Syria, where civilians have faced shelling, drone attacks, and a breakdown in basic services such as electricity, water, and healthcare. Many of the displaced are seeking refuge in neighbouring areas with already limited resources.
