BEIRUT — A
closure of the last aid corridor from
Turkey into northwest
Syria’s rebel-held
areas would spell “catastrophe” for millions of people, a UN aid official has
warned.
اضافة اعلان
“This is one of the
most vulnerable populations anywhere in the world,” said Mark Cutts, UN deputy
regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis. “It is absolutely
essential that we keep this lifeline going.”
Cutts spoke ahead
of a
UN Security Council vote expected Thursday to renew the world body’s
authorization to deliver assistance through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing before its
mandate expires on July 10.
More than 4,600 aid
trucks, carrying mostly food, have crossed it so far this year, helping some
2.4 million people, says the
UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“We know things
this year are even more politicized than in previous years,” Cutts told AFP.
“The tensions are very high with the war in Ukraine.”
Russia, an ally of
Damascus, has proposed a draft extending the authorization for six months,
diplomatic sources in New York said, while Ireland and Norway had proposed a
one-year period.
Russia has already
forced a reduction in the number of crossings in recent years, arguing that the
access violates Syria’s sovereignty.
If Russia’s
proposal, which would limit longer-term visibility for the UN and NGOs, is not
supported, Moscow could use its veto power and block the extension entirely.
‘Catastrophe’
Cutts warned that a “failure to renew this resolution will be a
catastrophe. There is no alternative currently available that can replace the
scale or scope of what the UN is currently doing.”
Syria’s
humanitarian needs have reached their highest levels since the 2011 onset of a
bloody conflict that has killed nearly half a million people and forced more
than half of the country’s pre-war population from their homes.
About 13.4 million
people across Syria were in need of assistance last year, up from 11.1 million
in 2020, OCHA says.
The UN resolution
permitting aid deliveries across the Syrian-Turkish border at Bab al-Hawa has
been in effect since 2014.
Syria’s rebel-held
northwest is home to more than 4 million people, most of whom are displaced and
live in poverty.
Aid groups are
considering alternatives in the event of a Russian veto, relief officials told
AFP on condition of anonymity.
They include
stepping up deliveries via Damascus and continuing cross-border deliveries
through a consortium of international aid groups.
‘Hard to guarantee’
Cutts declined to speak about the UN’s contingency plans, but said that
they could not substitute the cross-border operation that is heavily involved
in risk mitigation, monitoring and reporting.
“Our focus is
always on ensuring that the aid reaches the people who need it, and that it is
not diverted to armed group,” Cutts said.
“Without the UN
role there will be less accountability and less transparency in the overall
response. ... It’s hard to guarantee what the situation will be.”
Russia argues that
aid can reach needy populations through government-held areas within Syria, but
Cutts said the UN has only managed to arrange for five such deliveries so far.
“We are trying to
have as much access as possible from different routes,” Cutts said. “But it
remains a war zone and the cross-line access is always dependent on cooperation
between parties to the conflict.”
Amnesty International on Tuesday accused the Syrian government of deliberately leaving
displaced Syrians in areas outside of its control entirely dependent on
international aid.
“Since losing
control of the northwest part of the country, the Syrian government has cut off
electricity and water supplies, obstructed aid and attacked camps, medical
facilities and schools, putting the onus on humanitarian organizations to
provide services,” the rights group said in a statement.
“There is no effective solution for providing adequate
humanitarian aid in northwest Syria except by renewing the existing
cross-border mechanism.”
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