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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 21-- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that the "man-made humanitarian nightmare" for the Syrian people must stop immediately. "This man-made humanitarian nightmare for the long-suffering Syrian people must stop. It must stop now," the UN chief said. "We are all aware of the unfolding crisis in northwest Syria and the terrible human toll on civilians," he added. "Nearly 900,000 people - the vast majority women and children - have fled in the latest fighting under the most tragic circumstances. Hundreds have been killed. Many have been uprooted multiple times. Young children are freezing to death." "The fighting is now advancing into areas with the highest concentrations of people - including the displaced - and threatening to strangle humanitarian lifelines," said the secretary-general. Guterres warned that "international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians have been systematically ignored." "As the space for safety shrinks further - the potential for human suffering grows worse," he noted. According to the UN chief, an estimated 2.8 million people in northwest Syria require humanitarian assistance. "Earlier this month we thought we would need to reach 800,000 people displaced by the recent and ongoing violence," he said. "Now, something much greater is required." | 
