Intel: US pledges nearly $700M in humanitarian assistance for Syrians

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Jun 30, 2020

Syrians buy bread in the town of Binnish in the country's northwestern Idlib province on June 9, 2020. - Syrians held a third day of rare anti-regime protests over deteriorating living conditions Tuesday in the government-held city of Sweida, a war monitor said, as the value of the pound sunk. The value of the Syrian pound has plummeted with dizzying speed in recent days on the informal market, sending prices skyrocketing nationwide and shuttering shops. Dozens rallied in the majority-Druze city of Sweida i — Syrians buy bread in the town of Binnish in the country's northwestern Idlib province on June 9, 2020. — OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

The US State Department announced today that it would be providing an additional $696 million in humanitarian assistance for Syrians, bringing its total contribution since the start of the war to more than $11.3 billion.

“The international community, both traditional and new donors, must remain committed to meeting the growing needs of the Syrian people, a responsibility the Assad regime has proven unwilling to uphold,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

At a virtual pledging conference co-hosted by the European Union today, the United Nations appealed for $10 billion in aid to support Syrians and the countries hosting them. The UN estimates more than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since the uprising began in 2011.

Why it matters: The fundraising push comes as Syria’s already-gutted economy teeters on collapse. After nearly a decade of war, relentless Western sanctions and financial turmoil in neighboring Lebanon, the currency has fallen to record lows this summer.

Intel: US pledges nearly $700M in humanitarian assistance for Syrians

The US State Department announced it would be providing an additional $696 million in humanitarian assistance to Syrians.

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