Fragmentation and renewed war still loom large for Syria, UN envoy warns

About 16.5 million Syrians, nearly 70 per cent of the population, require protection and humanitarian aid, says Geir Pedersen

Displaced families return to their village in Kafr Sijna, south of Idlib, after more than five years in the Atmeh camps near the Syrian-Turkish border. AP

The challenges facing Syria remain enormous, with the risks of renewed conflict and deeper fragmentation still unresolved, the UN special envoy for the country warned on Wednesday.

Geir Pedersen told the UN Security Council that he remained concerned about the potential for new violence and at the “undermining of trust” that such developments would result in.

He alluded to attacks targeting the Alawite community, which is closely linked to the Assad family, and to violence targeting the Druze population in April, saying these incidents reflected rising sectarian tensions.

“However, the Syrian people have taken heart from the fact that the decisions of the last week to lift sanctions give them a better chance than before to succeed against great odds,” Mr Pederson said.

In a surprise move last week, US President Donald Trump announced he would order the lifting of all sanctions on Syria, marking a sea change in Washington’s policy towards the war-torn nation.

The decision follows similar steps by the EU, which on Tuesday ended its economic sanctions, and the UK, which revoked its sanctions regime last month.

Syria's deputy ambassador to the UN, Riyadh Khdair, told council members the decision to lift sanctions marked a “long-awaited turning point”.

“They give the Syrian people a chance to grapple with the legacy of misrule, conflict, abuses and poverty from which they are trying to emerge – a burden that is one of the heaviest that any state or people anywhere has had to face in modern times,” Mr Pedersen said.

But he warned that Syria still faces immense structural challenges, including a shattered economy, widespread destruction and continuing instability.

“Revitalising a devastated economy will require from the interim authorities sustained actions, including on overall economic reform and governance standards across the financial system, and this will need international support,” he added.

Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was allowing US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack and his staff to work with local officials in Syria to understand what aid they need.

“We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilise the entire region,” Mr Rubio said.

According to reports, Mr Trump is weighing the possibility of naming Mr Barrack as a special envoy to Syria.

Ramesh Rajasingham, UN deputy relief co-ordinator, highlighted Syria’s worsening humanitarian situation, describing needs as “immense” and growing “in complexity”.

Today, 16.5 million Syrians, nearly 70 per cent of the population, require protection and humanitarian assistance. More than half face food insecurity, with nearly three million at risk of severe hunger, according to UN data.