Water Being Used as Weapon of War in Syrian Conflict, UN Warns

The United Nations on Tuesday said it has reason to believe that groups in the Syrian conflict are using the country’s scarce water supply as a weapon of war.

“There is increasing evidence that parties to the conflict are using water to achieve military and political gains,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) declared in a press statement. 

According to the group, up to five million Syrians across the country have experienced “long and sometimes deliberate interruptions to their water supplies.” In the city of Aleppo, where fighting has reportedly “crippled” the main pumping station, some cuts have lasted over a month.

“Clean water is both a basic need and a fundamental right, in Syria as it is anywhere else,” said Dr. Peter Salama, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Denying civilians access to water is a flagrant violation of the laws of war and must end.”