Speaking to reporter outside the UN Security Council on Friday, Valerie Amos once again warned of persisting violence in Syria, adding that acts of violence against civilians continue in the war-ravaged nation.

“I told the members of the council today that the situation for the millions of desperate people has not improved. In fact, conflict and violence have intensified over the past four weeks with many people killed and injured.”

Amos also said sexual violence has increased over the past few months.

“Since the 22nd of February, some 300 cases of sexual violence have been recorded in Damascus and rural Damascus alone. I’m also very concerned that hundreds of thousands of people have been newly displaced from eastern Aleppo and Yabroud in the south, driving them further from the reach of humanitarian assistance,” Amos stated.

“Just this week, thousands of people are reported to have fled a rebel-led offensive near [the village of] Kasab, close to the border with Turkey including the Syrian-Armenian population, leading to growing concerns about sectarianism and the targeting of minority communities.”

This is while the Syrian government and the foreign-backed insurgent groups blame each other for hindering access to humanitarian aid.

In February, the UN Security Council called on all parties to the conflict in Syria to allow aid convoys to cross conflict lines and borders.

Over the past years, millions of Syrians have fled the turmoil and sought refuge in neighboring countries.

According to the UN, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled to Jordan and Turkey while Lebanon bears the largest concentration of Syrian refugees, close to one million people.

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