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So far, the victims of the earthquake in northern Syria have received little or no care. Only a single border crossing from Turkey to Syria was available and formed a bottleneck. Only now has the UN managed to open two more for humanitarian aid deliveries.
Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria wants all aid to go through Damascus. In this way, it can control them – and at the same time favor its followers and minions. Those who control humanitarian shipments gain power.
With Russian help in the UN Security Council, the number of direct points of access for humanitarian aid to the rebel-controlled areas in north-west Syria was ultimately reduced to just one, Bab al-Hawa.
The UN pushed for the opening of the crossings
The transition had already proved to be a bottleneck and was no longer sufficient after the recent earthquake disaster. “Not enough aid is getting into the country,” complained Swiss UN Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl. In the UN Security Council, Switzerland and Brazil are coordinating efforts to provide more humanitarian support for the victims of the earthquake in Syria.
The UN had been pushing for more open border crossings for days. Now the Security Council threatened the Syrian leadership with a forced opening by means of a resolution, explained France’s UN ambassador Nicolas de Rivière: “We need access, and we need it immediately.” It is not a political, but a humanitarian decision.
Assad gives in
At the same time, UN emergency aid chief Martin Griffiths was negotiating with the regime in Syria. In the end, this path was successful and a Security Council resolution was no longer necessary. Dictator Assad has now agreed to temporarily open two more border crossings from Turkey to north-west Syria for three months.
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Thanks to further open border crossings, emergency aid can also be significantly increased on the Syrian side of the earthquake area. Image from the small town of Harim in north-western Syria, taken on February 13.
REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano
He had previously insisted that sanctions against his country be lifted in return. But they are not the problem at all, because humanitarian supplies, food, emergency shelter or medical supplies are not included.
The breakthrough comes as a surprise. However, it is crucial and indispensable for the work of the UN and all aid organizations working in Syria. Only then can emergency aid be ramped up significantly on the Syrian side of the earthquake area.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres therefore welcomes the step, as do numerous governments and aid organizations.
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SRF
In view of the magnitude of the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria, Swiss Solidarity is appealing for donations. Swiss Solidarity is in close contact with its Swiss partner organizations, which have been working in the vicinity of the disaster area in Syria for years and are committed to helping the population affected by the war. In Turkey, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent are currently the most active.
Donations to the collection “Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria” can be made directly www.glueckskette.ch.