Welthungerhilfe and Malteser warned on Friday that people are now dependent on cross-border aid in the winter.
A cause for concern is a UN resolution that expires on January 10. It ensures that United Nations relief supplies are also delivered via Turkey to Syrian regions not controlled by the government. On Monday, the Security Council in New York plans to extend cross-border aid for another six months. The support has been extended several times in the past, but the last time in July saw days of negotiations.
Russia had vetoed a draft resolution extending the regulation for another year and finally agreed to an extension of only six months. Moscow supports the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and therefore prefers to transport relief goods via the Assad-controlled capital of Damascus. In the summer, the Bab al-Hawa border crossing had to be temporarily closed due to ongoing talks.
More than one million internally displaced people are already affected by malnutrition in the northwest of the country, according to the Malteser International. “After almost twelve years of war, the situation for the people of Syria has deteriorated again in recent months,” said Thomas Weiss of the aid organization. In his view, other organizations cannot fill the gap that would be created if UN aid deliveries were stopped.
(SDA)