HIGHLIGHTS
• Clashes continue despite February 24 UNSC resolution calling for 30-day ceasefire
• Conflict in Eastern Ghouta kills more than 1,000 civilians in 20 days
• GoT Operation Olive Branch displaces 35,000–50,000 people since January 20
• Humanitarian convoys arrive in Eastern Ghouta and Afrin
• WFP reaches nearly 2.4 million beneficiaries in January
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
• On February 24, the UN Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted a resolution demanding a 30-day nationwide ceasefire in Syria to allow unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to conduct life-saving interventions. However, Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) airstrikes and bombardments continued in Rif Damascus Governorate’s SARG-besieged Eastern Ghouta region following the resolution, and the SARG launched a ground offensive in the region on February 25, according to international media. Conflict in Eastern Ghouta has killed more than 1,000 people and injured at least 2,500 others since February 18, international media report.
• On March 5, a joint UN, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) humanitarian convoy delivered life-saving assistance to Eastern Ghouta, transporting emergency food assistance, as well as health and nutrition supplies. According to the UN, SARG officials removed an estimated 70 percent of medical supplies from the convoy prior to arrival, and 13 of the 46 trucks were only partially unloaded due to an escalation in conflict during the initial delivery process. The convoys completed the delivery of the remaining commodities on March 9, reaching the planned caseload of 27,500 people.
• Operation Olive Branch—a Government of Turkey (GoT) military offensive in Aleppo Governorate’s Kurdish-controlled Afrin District and surrounding areas—continued through early March, relief organizations report. As of mid-February, the offensive had displaced an estimated 35,000–50,000 people, according to the UN.
• An ICRC and SARC humanitarian convoy reached Afrin on March 1, the ICRC reports. The convoy included approximately 430 metric tons (MT) of emergency relief commodities sufficient for 50,000 people.