U.N. refugee agency prepared to send emergency aid into previously unreachable Syrian communities if cease fire holds

The U.N. refugee agency "said Thursday it is ready to send emergency aid to thousands of Syrian families in previously unreachable areas" if a four-day U.N. Security Council-backed ceasefire set to begin Friday holds, Agence France-Presse reports. In an press release, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said, "In all, some 550 tons of supplies are being made available for distribution to up to 13,000 affected families -- some 65,000 people -- in several previously inaccessible areas," the news agency notes (10/25). "UNHCR, which currently has more than 350 staff in three offices across Syria, said it has been working closely with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and other partners to provide aid," the U.N. News Centre reports.

"Despite the immense security challenges, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have managed to scale up and reach areas where people need help, including food for 1.5 million people in September and health assistance to 60,000 people including emergency care for the wounded," Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said, the news service states. Since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began more than a year and a half ago, more than 20,000 people have died in the country, while 2.5 million Syrians need humanitarian aid, and more than 340,000 have fled to neighboring countries, according to U.N. estimates, the new service notes (10/25).