GUIDANCE NOTE
Last update: February 2023
During the course of the war, Syria became the scene for a series of intersecting conflicts involving many internal and international actors. Three main campaigns have driven the conflict in Syria: the violence between the Syrian government and opposition forces; the efforts of a US-led coalition to defeat ISIL; and the military operations against Syrian Kurds by Turkish forces. Complex alliances, shifting allegiances, rivalries and conflicting interests between the actors involved continue to affect the balance of power and to foster uncertainty.
The UN reported that, by March 2021 the number of fatalities since the beginning of the conflict was around 350 000, 41 % of them being civilians. Most other sources estimated the number of fatalities to be at around 500 000 or higher. The conflict also caused the biggest displacement crisis in the world. According to estimates, it has driven some 5.6 million Syrian refugees out of the country and at the end of 2021, 6.7 million Syrians were living in internal displacement.
The significant impact on the civilian population in the country has been the result of deliberate targeting by multiple actors, as well as risks associated with indiscriminate violence.
The individual assessment of international protection needs should also take into account the presence and activity of different actors in the applicant’s home area and the situation in the areas the applicant would need to travel through in order to reach their home area. Moreover, the assessment should account for the dynamically changing security situation in the country.
It should also be noted that in some cases, where international protection needs would be established, exclusion considerations may be relevant.
A combination of factors, including international economic sanctions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing economic decline, protracted conflict, hyperinflation, water and fuel shortages contributed to a further significant worsening of socio-economic conditions in Syria during the reference period. The economic situation has also contributed to a rapid deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the country. Over 90 % of the Syrian population were living below the poverty line. About 14.6 million Syrians (of an overall population of 21.7 million) were assessed to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2022 and around 12 million persons faced acute food insecurity in Syria in 2022.