UN warns of deepening humanitarian crisis as Kobane siege drags on

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations warned on Friday that the humanitarian situation in the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane in northeast Syria (Rojava) is at risk of further deterioration, as all access routes to the city remain closed by Damascus forces and basic services are severely disrupted.

Speaking during a daily press briefing on Friday, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said UN partners on the ground are increasingly concerned about conditions for civilians.

“All roads connecting to Kobani are currently closed. Interruptions to the power supply, water, and internet are hampering people’s access to basic services,” Haq said, adding that humanitarian partners have begun reporting “shortages of food and other key items. Health facilities are operating, but there have been reports of shortages of medicine.”

Haq said the UN is in contact with “authorities in Aleppo on how we can support them,” noting that UN agencies and partners continue to provide aid following recent clashes across Aleppo, Raqqa, Hasaka, and Deir ez-Zor.

According to Haq, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are delivering medical supplies, mobile nutrition services, and care for injured children and pregnant women.

“We are also engaging with our partners and authorities to carry out more assessments and facilitate access,” he added.

Asked by Rudaw's Namo Abdulla on whether the UN had questioned Syrian authorities about what he described as a siege on Kobane, Haq said, “we are engaging with the authorities. We want to carry out more assessments and we want to make sure that access to Kobani is facilitated, so we’re going to continue with that work.”

Haq detailed that what they want is to “make sure that we have access to all those who are in humanitarian need, including in Kobane, and we’ll continue to work on that.”

The UN comments come as local Kurdish authorities warned that Kobane remains under siege despite Damascus’s declared cessation of hostilities.

Elham Ahmad, a senior official from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), said on Thursday that “clashes in Kobane have continued since the start of the siege days ago, despite [Damascus’s] announcement of a ceasefire,” adding that the cutoff of water, electricity, and internet services “amount to war crimes.”

She called on “the relevant authorities to intervene to end the siege and the punishment of civilians by depriving them of their livelihoods.”

Kobane holds deep symbolic importance for Kurds. In 2014, the city became the scene of a pivotal battle against the Islamic State (ISIS), when militants surrounded the city and forced thousands of civilians to flee to neighboring Turkey.

With backing from the US-led Global Coalition against ISIS and reinforcements from Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces, Kurdish fighters ultimately repelled ISIS in January 2015-marking the group’s first major military defeat and turning Kobane into a global symbol of resistance.

The current situation of the city comes amid broader tensions between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Since mid-January, Syrian government forces and allied groups have advanced into SDF-held areas across eastern Aleppo and parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka.

Earlier this week, the Syrian presidency announced a “mutual understanding” with the SDF, granting them four days to consult on a mechanism for integrating areas under their control, and stating that Syrian forces would remain outside the centers of Hasaka and Qamishli if an agreement is reached. The deadline is set to end on Saturday.

Namo Abdulla contributed to this report from New York.