More than 13 million Syrians are in need of aid despite a relative drop in violence in their country in recent months, AFP reported Tuesday (November 21st).
Upwards of 330,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011, and the violence has displaced over half the population, both internally and abroad, as refugees.
"Entering the seventh year of the crisis, the scale, severity and complexity of needs across Syria remain overwhelming," a report by the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
"Some 13.1 million people in Syria require humanitarian assistance. Of these, 5.6 million people are in acute need," OCHA added.
The figure represents a slight drop, from 13.5 million people in need in 2016, according to the report.
The UN said 40% of the needy were children, adding that people in besieged or so-called "hard-to-reach" areas were particularly vulnerable.
While the report noted there "has been a reduction in violence in some areas", it added that the impact of the truce zones "has been mixed" for civilians.
It also warned that up to 1.5 million Syrians could be newly displaced over the course of the coming year, though it also expected to see up to a million existing internally displaced Syrians return home.
The report predicted ongoing fighting in certain areas, including Idlib province in north-west Syria where a de-escalation zone is currently in place.
Idlib province is controlled by Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance dominated by the former al-Nusra Front (ANF).
The UN also saw little respite in sight for Eastern Ghouta, another truce zone, where violence has escalated despite the de-escalation deal.
The opposition-held area has been under government siege since 2013, with food and medical shortages leading to a malnutrition crisis and deaths.
"Civilians in UN-declared besieged areas, particularly in East Ghouta, are likely to remain deprived of sustained humanitarian assistance and have limited access to basic commodities and services," the report warned.
