Syria’s war has caused more than 507,000 deaths in 13 years, according to estimates released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSHO) on Thursday, ahead of the 13th anniversary of the conflict that has divided the country and displaced millions. people, AFP and Agerpres report.

Beginning on March 15, 2011, with a popular uprising brutally suppressed by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the conflict became more complicated due to the intervention of international actors and the influx of jihadists from around the world.

More than 164,000 civilians were killed, including more than 15,000 women and 25,000 children, according to OSDO, an NGO based in the UK but with a wide network of sources in the war-torn country.

The NGO estimates that more than 343,000 militants have been killed, including soldiers from the Syrian regime army, fighters from pro-Iranian groups, Kurdish-led forces and jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The figures represent an increase of around 4,000 deaths compared to March 2023, as the situation on the frontline has generally stabilized in recent years.

President Bashar al-Assad now controls about two-thirds of Syria, thanks to the decisive intervention of Moscow, his main ally, and Tehran.

However, vast areas in the north of the country remain outside his control.

“In Syria, a whole generation knew nothing but war”

According to the UN, 16.7 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance or protection. According to the same source, more than seven million people are internally displaced.

The devastating earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria in February 2023 exacerbated the problem.

Suhair Zakkoot, spokeswoman for the Damascus-based International Committee of the Red Cross, told AFP the war had had “devastating consequences” for Syrians, causing “unbelievable suffering”.

“In Syria, a whole generation has known nothing but war,” she lamented.

Western sanctions have worsened the economic crisis caused by the war, which has destroyed the infrastructure of a country where 90% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Aid organizations are working “to maintain a minimum level of basic services” such as water and health care so “they don’t collapse,” Suhair Zakkoot said.