Record number of Syrians going hungry, aid groups warn

LEADI G aid groups called Monday for increased access and funding for millions of Syrians at risk of starvation, on the eve of a key conference in Brussels.

More than nine years into the conflict, the fighting has receded but the humanitarian emergency remains acute, the international GOs said in a joint statement.

“A staggering 9.3 million Syrians are now going to sleep hungry and more than another two million are at risk of a similar fate,” they said.

The statement -- signed by the orwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, CARE, Mercy Corps and others -- said the number of Syrians facing food insecurity has risen by 42 percent since last year.

“Almost a decade of war has thrown Syrians into a spiral of despair and destitution that keeps worsening every year. International assistance is needed now more than ever,” the aid groups said.

“Unless funding and humanitarian access are increased, many Syrians, including those living as refugees in the region, will be pushed to the brink of starvation,” the aid groups said.

U humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock told the Security Council in ew ork on Monday that the levels of assistance “delivered across the border (into Syria) are far from sufficient”.