Powered by

Syria quake aid held up by 'approval issues': UN

After 12 years of conflict, Syria is fractured

TURKEY-QUAKE/SYRIA-FATHER Syrian father Nader Fadil, who lost his wife and two of his children in the earthquake, walks with his sister near the rubble of damaged buildings in Jableh, Syria February 12, 2023 | Reuters

Thousands of people have been killed in Syria in the earthquake that struck its border with Syria. But, aid has been held up by 'approval issues'-- especially aid from government-held parts of Syria into opposition-controlled territory, a UN spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday. 

After 12 years of conflict, Syria is fractured. Aid workers face an added challenge to reach northern regions affected by the quake that has claimed over 34,000 lives so far. So far, over 3,500 deaths have been reported in Syria, a bulk of which have been reported from the northwestern regions, which are largely held by the extremist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). According to the UN, 4 million people in the area were already in need of assistance even before the earthquake. 

Though the rebel-held area has been hard hit by the quake, the government-held areas have suffered widespread casualties and destruction. And since only a single border crossing links Turkey to the north and the front lines with the government are sealed off, the area has received very little aid. Syrian government last week said it was willing to send aid to the northern zone. According to an HTS source, aid would be coming in from Turkey.

A spokesperson for the UN's humanitarian aid office told Reuters "there are issues with approval" by the group, which the UN and the United States classified as a terrorist organization, without giving further information. Assad's government has maintained that aid for any part of the country should enter via territory under government control.

Russia, a veto-wielding council member has said UN aid should be channelled through Damascus and then across the front lines. Last week, Turkey said it may be willing to open a direct border crossing with government-held zones in Syria. 

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines