OCHA: 1 million people displaced in Syria

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a report on Monday saying that as many as one million people have been displaced since the widespread unrest broke out in Syria. According to OCHA, clashes have affected huge sections of the capital Damascus, causing new waves of displacement. OCHA also issued a warning that the outlook for food insecurity in the violence-stricken nation is grim. Locals have been forced to evacuate due to the crisis, which has adversely affected crops, employment and livestock. There were also spreading reports about hospitals in restive areas being closed, surrounded and even occupied by security forces, while others are lacking medical supplies. Syria has been plagued by bloody clashes since March last year when anti-government demonstrations broke out in the country. According to the latest United Nations tally, the conflict has already claimed about 12,000 lives, including a considerable number of government forces.