Like everything else in the Arab-Israeli conflict, population figures are hotly disputed.
Overpopulation is at the root of every violent conflict; population growth "eats up" whatever economic progress African countries achieve.
The conflict has left more than 70,000 people dead and two million internally displaced, of a pre-conflict population of 20.7 million.
The city which had a pre-conflict population of nearly 1 million, has been steadily emptying as thousands, fearing a government offensive, have fled.
The separatists denied their forces had launched an assault on government-held Maryinka, a town which had a pre-conflict population of around 9,900 and lies 15 km (9 miles) west of Donetsk.
This study showed distress related to exposure to traumatic events in the post-conflict population extended beyond PTSD.
Addressing the needs of former abductees is unquestionably important, as they comprise a substantial proportion of the post-conflict population.
While the pre-conflict population of Areha was some 13,000 families, colleagues at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) estimate that the current population is approximately 5,000 families.
An estimated 3.5 million people, or roughly half of the region's total pre-conflict population, have been affected by the crisis.
Further risk factors include rainfall, seasonality, poor sanitation, travel, conflict, population displacement, health facilities with poor infection control and living near contaminated water sources.
Depression is a common issue at primary care settings in a post-conflict population, and the elders, women and persons with disability are at a greater risk.
