UN trying to help move Syria's displaced from schools ahead of the start of schoolyear

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BEIRUT (AP) — The United Nations is trying to help move displaced Syrians sheltering in schools in a southwestern province that was engulfed in sectarian clashes this summer to alternative housing ahead of the start of the new schoolyear, a U.N. official said Friday.

The clashes in Sweida province involved Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and Druze sect members. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, and over 187,000 people remain displaced, with the government in the Syrian capital of Damascus and local Druze authorities in Sweida now at a standoff.

The displaced face an uncertain future, with no clear government plan for their return. Officials have insisted the displacement is temporary but have not offered any alternative plans for the displaced.

Across the country, around 40% of schools are still out of service due to damages from the civil war, leaving as many as 2.5 million children out of schoolrooms, according to Adam Abdelmoula, the U.N.’s humanitarian coordinator for Syria.

The schoolyear in Syria begins in September, though the start date varies by region. Some schools opened early in the month while others start in mid- to late September.

Abdelmoula said the authorities had proposed moving displaced people into camps.

“The last thing Syria needs is to see more camps going up,” he said. However, relocating them to public buildings or youth centers, or offering subsidized rentals and house repairs is “very manageable.”

Meanwhile, aid groups say restrictions on humanitarian work in Syria have eased significantly since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad in a blitz rebel offensive last December.

“There has been a steady progress in terms of the permissiveness that this government is allowing us,” Abdelmoula said, adding that there is coordination among aid agencies, open borders with Jordan and Turkey and a functioning Damascus Airport.

But the easing of restrictions has been overshadowed by a drop in funding.

“We are seeing the lowest level of funding for the humanitarian effort” in Syria this year, Abdelmoula said.