Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday announced that two border crossing points between Turkey and north-west Syria, at Bab al-Salam and Al Ra’ee will be opened for three months to allow larger volume of emergency aid for those affected by the earthquake in northwestern Syria, according to the Guardian.
Part of northwestern Syria are held by anti-Assad forces and the region was reeling from the Syrian civil war which has been going on for the last 12 years.
The victims of the civil war, who live in the northwestern regions of Syria, received a double whammy as the earthquake has displaced them once more.
The decision was welcomed by UN secretary general, António Guterres, as the organisation earlier said they failed to help people in northwestern Syria.
At least 36,000 people have died in Syria and Turkey following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit on February 6. The confirmed death toll stands at 35,331 as officials and medics said 31,643 people had died in Turkey and at least 3,688 in Syria.
The condition of northwestern Syria was of concern because of the civil war and also due to fears that the sole entry point to Syria’s rebel-controlled Idlib province through the Bab al-Hawa border, would not be enough to send aid to all those who were affected.
The opening of other border points was not possible because Russia and China claimed that Syrian sovereignty would be undermined if those points were opened without prior approval from Assad.
“As the toll of the 6 February earthquake continues to mount, delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency. Opening these crossing points – along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals, and easing travel between hubs – will allow more aid to go in, faster,” Guterres said.
The UN head of emergency relief Martin Griffith said the rescue phase in Syria is coming to a close and the focus has now switched to shelter, food and schooling.
In Syria, hardline Hayat al-Tahrir al-Sham group has refused to receive the aid sent via Damascus, further complicating the delivery of aid in Syria. The group were warned that their stance would invite a secondary catastrophe for survivors who are living outdoors due to the earthquake amid freezing temperatures.
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