Syria: more than 38,000 displaced in a month of fighting in Deraa according to the UN

More than 38,000 people have fled fighting between Syrian regime forces and rebels in Daraa in a month, as negotiations for a truce falter, the UN said on Tuesday (August 24th).

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Cradle of the uprising against the regime in 2011, the southern province of Daraa has been regularly shaken by bombings and attacks against the forces of Bashar al-Assad since its reconquest in the summer of 2018. Under an unprecedented agreement negotiated by Moscow , the rebels were allowed to stay there, some joining the army or retaining control of parts of the province.

20,400 children among the displaced

In recent weeks, regime forces have gradually tightened the grip on Deraa al-Balad, a large neighborhood in the south of the city of the same name, the provincial capital held by former rebels.

Talks began there at the end of July to end the ongoing deadly clashes.

In one month, the fighting has left 38,600 displaced, most of whom have fled Deraa al-Balad, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said on Tuesday.

Among these displaced people, around 15,000 are women and more than 20,400 children, according to Ocha.

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The UN agency warned of a critical situation in Daraa, access to goods and services - including food and electricity - being "

". Regime forces are restricting the entry of goods to Deraa al-Balad, where 40,000 people still reside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). "

" said OSDH, which has an extensive network of sources. in Syria.

Many residents of Daraa al-Balad reject Russian and Syrian conditions for a ceasefire, OSDH said, but the exact terms proposed in the deal remain unclear. The pro-regime daily al-Watan and the official Syrian agency (Sana) accused rebel groups of thwarting ceasefire efforts.