6 March 2013
The United Nations refugee agency, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that one million people have fled Syria, in particular to Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. Since 1 January 2013, the number has risen with more than 400.000.
International donors have pledged 1.5 billion Dollar for a UN response plan to help the displaced people, but only 25 per cent of this has been funded.
Source: Reuters | One million refugees have fled Syria: U.N.
Source: UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency | Number of Syrian refugees reaches 1 million mark
28 February 2013
The New York Times reports that Saudi Arabia financed a large purchase of infantry weapons from Croatia, which were secretly moved through Jordan to antigovernment fighters in Syria, according to United States (US) and Western officials familiar with the purchases. It is suggested by a Croatian newspaper that the US were possibly the intermediary.
The weapons supposedly included ammunition and ‘thousands of rifles and hundreds of machine guns’. Swiss-made hand grenades (that were provided to the United Arab Emirates) and Ukrainian-made rifle cartridges (that were purchased by Saudi Arabia) have also been found in the possession of rebels in Syria.
Source: The New York Times | Saudis Step Up Help for Rebels in Syria With Croatian Arms