Snapshot 12 – 19 August
In Syria, fighting between governmental forces and opposition groups has been concentrated in Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor, Homs, Lattakia and Rural Damascus this week. Meanwhile, infighting is ongoing within the opposition. As during previous weeks, FSA forces have clashed with Islamist opposition groups on multiple occasions while Kurdish groups continued to fight with Islamist groups in the north of the country. The mass influx of Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries is ongoing. As of 19 August, over 1.9 million Syrians had fled the country.
Last week saw one of the largest mass displacements of refugees since the beginning of the crisis: Iraq experienced a sudden influx of Syrian refugees between 15 and 19 August. Over 20,000 refugees are reported to have entered northern Iraq through the Peshkabour crossing, according to UNHCR.
Following its passage across the Philippines on 12 August, the Typhoon Utor hit southeastern Guangdong province in China on 14 August. As of 19 August, the Typhoon and following rains have affected an estimated 4 million people in China after having affected over 380,000 in the Philippines.
In parallel, the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang in north-eastern China, near the border with Russia, have been hit by severe flooding in mid-August. To date, over 3.5 million people were reportedly affected in the area.
In Laos, two tropical storms caused flooding that affected 44,000 people in the northern provinces of Oudomxay, Xayabuly, Xiengkhoung and Bolikhamxay, and in the central province of Khammoune. To date, information on damages remains limited.
As of 16 August, according to OCHA, heavy rains have displaced at least 150,000 people across nine states in Sudan. Immediate needs include emergency shelter, health and water and sanitation services.