シリア避難民キャンプで５歳未満の死亡率急増、国境封鎖で支援届かず

【ベイルートＡＦＰ＝時事】子どもの権利保護団体「セーブ・ザ・チルドレン」は13日、シリア北東部アルホルの避難民キャンプで8月6～10日に5歳未満の子ども8人が死亡したと発表し、「5歳未満児の死亡率が年初比で3倍以上に急増している」と警鐘を鳴らした。（写真は資料写真）
　シリア北東部の大部分を掌握するクルド人自治政府が運営するアルホル避難民キャンプには、イスラム過激派組織「イスラム国（ＩＳ）」の戦闘員の家族を含む数万人が暮らしている。クルド人地域では、これまでに新型コロナウイルスの感染者１７１人、死者８人が確認されている。
　セーブ・ザ・チルドレンは子ども８人の死因について、心不全、皮下出血、極度の栄養失調などを挙げ、いずれもキャンプ内の医療体制が整っていれば治療可能だったと説明した。
　だが、アルホル避難民キャンプへの医療支援は、これまで国連支援物資の搬入に使用していた国境検問所が今年１月に国連安全保障理事会の決定で閉鎖されたため、大幅な削減を余儀なくされている。キャンプ内の医療施設の機能は４０％低下しているという。
　セーブ・ザ・チルドレンのシリア担当責任者は、「子どもたちを守るという点において、あらゆるレベルで集団的な失敗を目の当たりにしている」と述べ、安保理の対応を非難した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2020/08/14-14:43）

Eight children under five years of age have died within days in a northeastern Syria camp hosting thousands of relatives of jihadists, the Save the Children charity said on Thursday.
Health and nutrition services have deteriorated rapidly in the Kurdish-run Al-Hol camp, where the children died over a five-day period, it said.
The spike in under-five mortality was recorded between 6-10 August and is more than three times higher than the mortality rate since the beginning of 2020, a statement said.
The Al-Hol camp is home to tens of thousands of people, including the relatives of Islamic State group jihadists.
It is run by the autonomous Kurdish administration that holds most of northeastern Syria and has reported 171 COVID-19 cases, including 8 deaths in areas under its control.
Medical assistance to Al-Hol has decreased since the UN Security Council in January scrapped a key border crossing used to deliver UN-funded medical aid to camp residents.
We are seeing a collective failure at all levels to protect children, said Save the Children Syria Response Director Sonia Khush.
This is the result of ongoing failure of the UN Security Council to reopen the closest border-crossing, leading to unforgivable delays in services.
The charity said the deaths of the eight children in August were linked to heart failure, internal bleeding and severe malnutrition -- all of which could be treated in operational field hospitals.
It said border crossing restrictions had reduced capacity of operational health facilities in Al-Hol by 40 percent.
The crisis has been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic in the overcrowded camp and has sparked fears among aid groups of a health catastrophe.
The United Nations on August 6 said that three health workers in Al-Hol had tested positive for coronavirus.
Two days later, Save the Children said it recorded the first case among camp residents, warning the disease would spread amid reduced medical access.