How To: Get medical aid kits to Aleppo, Syria

DUBAI, 24 May 2013 (IRIN) - Getting humanitarian supplies into conflict zones like Syria is no mean feat, often requiring negotiations with warring parties, braving insecurity and facing repeated delays and logistical challenges. full report

Syrians seeking refuge in Libya

MISRATA, 23 May 2013 (IRIN) - Two years ago Syrians in the relative security of their own country watched the unfolding crisis in Libya descend into a devastating civil war. full report

Syrian rebels on IHL: In their own words

DUBAI, 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - Like Syrian regime forces, Syria’s multitude of rebel fighters have faced growing criticism in recent months over violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including war crimes, with groups from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the UN Commission of Inquiry accusing them of killing opponents execution-style, torturing detainees, taking hostages, including UN peacekeepers, and possibly using chemical weapons. So how do the rebels view IHL principles? What guides their action? Who do they consider a civilian? And what do they think of aid workers? full report

"Sometimes you cannot apply the rules" - Syrian rebels and IHL

DUBAI, 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - In recent months, Syrian rebels have faced increasing criticism for violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law. For guidance on the laws of war, they turn to a combination of Islamic law, IHL and their own sense of righteousness or, as one expert put it, “revolutionary justice” - with mixed results. full report

Coffee and patience: a day in the life of a family hosting Syrian refugees

SAADNAYEL, BEKAA VALLEY, 8 May 2013 (IRIN) - The experiences of 1.4 million Syrian refugees are increasingly well-documented, but little is known about the people who open up their homes to host them. How do you organize your house to accommodate people you may only barely know? What are the stresses and strains? Do politics get in the way? IRIN spent a day in the life of a host family to bring you this portrait. full report

Analysis: Towards increased services for Syrian survivors of sexual violence

NIZIP, 8 May 2013 (IRIN) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need. full report

Syria refugees multimedia series – ‘Where the war still echoes’

NAIROBI, 2 May 2013 (IRIN) - This new IRIN film series, Where the war still echoes, follows a Syrian refugee family over the course of a year, from their arrival in Jordan in December 2012. It is an intimate view of their struggles to adjust to camp life, and cope with the violence at home. full report

Arab cities aim to build resilience to natural disasters

AQABA, 29 April 2013 (IRIN) - Prevention may be better than a cure, but for the authorities in Arab cities and towns, natural disasters up to now have been largely about coping with them after they have taken place. full report

Promised aid funding for Syria reaches half-way point

DUBAI, 18 April 2013 (IRIN) - Nearly three months ago, donors pledged $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid for the Syrian crisis. Today, Kuwait announced the transfer of its pledge of $300 million to international aid agencies and with that, half of the pledges have been fulfilled. IRIN takes a look at the status of the remaining pledges made in Kuwait, as aid agencies threaten to suspend their work for lack of funding. full report