Rapid Cholera Outbreak in Syria

Some officials at the United Nations have declared that Syria is experiencing "the worst economic crisis since the outbreak of the war, intense violence, and a rapidly spreading cholera epidemic." The outbreak has led to over 24,000 suspected cases and at least 80 deaths. The UN special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, stated before the UN Security Council that the conflict in Syria remains "highly active across the country despite the strategic stalemate that has hindered efforts to launch a political process between the government and the opposition," pointing to internal fighting among armed opposition factions in the city of Afrin in Aleppo province, airstrikes carried out by the government in the northwest, violence in the northeast, security incidents in areas of southwestern Syria, and Israeli airstrikes on Damascus and Aleppo airports, as well as the discovery of one of the largest weapon caches belonging to the Islamic State since the fall of its so-called "caliphate" in 2017 in the northeast. Pedersen also noted that the Syrian currency has lost a significant amount of its value over the past weeks, leading to record-high prices for food and fuel, as winter approaches, creating an urgent need for additional funding.