Press Release

Hostilities in Qamishli, North-East Syria - Joint statement

28 April 2021

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, Mr. Imran Riza, and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Mr. Muhannad Hadi, express their concern over the recent hostilities in Qamishli city, north-east Syria, and the impact of these hostilities on civilians.

On 20 April, armed clashes and shelling, including ground strikes on military positions, erupted between armed groups in the residential neighbourhoods of Harat Tayy and Halko in Qamishli city. A negotiated permanent ceasefire was agreed between the two parties on 25 April, and reports indicate that hundreds of families have since returned to their homes.

This escalation of violence caused civilian casualties and displacements. While assessments are ongoing, as many as 20,000 people were forced to flee. Further, according to UN verified information, three civilians were killed, including two children. At least two men and two children were injured in crossfire. Mr. Riza and Mr. Hadi pass on the deepest of sympathy to the families of those who were killed and injured.

Mr. Riza and Mr. Hadi strongly condemn this recent escalation of hostilities and call on all parties to the conflict to maintain the ceasefire. The protection of civilians remains paramount in all circumstances and the blatant disregard for civilian safety runs contrary to international human rights law, as well as obligations under international humanitarian law that all parties to the conflict are bound to respect.

For further information:

Danielle Moylan, Spokesperson OCHA Syria, moylan@un.org

Torsten Flying, Strategic Communications Officer OCHA Regional Office for the Syrian Crisis, torsten.flyng@un.org

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.

Nathalie Fustier

Nathalie Fustier

RCO
Resident Coordinator a.i and Humanitarian Coordinator
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Ms. Nathalie Fustier has over 30 years of experience in international relations, negotiations, and the management of political, humanitarian, and development affairs. She most recently served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Morocco, leading and coordinating the work of more than 21 UN agencies, funds, and programmes in support of the country’s development priorities. She previously held the same position in Saudi Arabia, where she coordinated the work of 23 UN entities.
Before that, Ms. Fustier worked with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in several leadership roles, including Head of Office in Lebanon and Gaziantep (Turkey), and Senior Humanitarian Affairs Specialist for the Middle East at UN Headquarters in New York.
Earlier in her career, she spent eight years in the private sector advising international companies in the Gulf and the Middle East on risk analysis, negotiation strategies, due diligence, fundraising, and intercultural training. She also served as the volunteer Chair of the Women’s Foundation for the Mediterranean.
For three decades, Ms. Fustier has worked on Middle Eastern affairs. She has served as Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in Doha, worked with the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food Programme and the Department of Political Affairs in New York, and served in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Baghdad. She also spent eight years in Paris overseeing the work of the Delegation for Strategic Affairs for the Middle East and North Africa.
Nathalie Fustier holds a master’s degree in political sciences from the Institute of Political Studies (Aix-en-Provence, France) and a master’s degree in international Negotiation from Aix-Marseille University (France).

She is married and has one son.

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