Syria: Humanitarian Bulletin, Issue 22, 18 March – 8 April 2013

Violence continues to spread to more areas 

The conflict in Syria has continuously escalated in scale and scope since the onset in March 2011. Violence is spreading to new densely populated urban areas, which in turn leads to increasing levels of destruction, casualties and displacement. In March, armed groups launched new military offensives in the north of the country, including in Ar- Raqqa, where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are located. Armed confrontations have also intensified in the south, particularly along the border with Jordan. An upsurge in violence in Damascus during the last week of March caused civilian deaths and considerable destruction, with more than a dozen people killed as mortars struck a cafeteria in Damascus University.