Millions of people in Syria are dependent on humanitarian aid. The UN Security Council has stopped aid for the time being – Russia has vetoed a resolution.
Millions of people in north-west Syria have been cut off from humanitarian aid after a veto in the UN Security Council.
After months of negotiations in the most powerful US body, Russia vetoed a nine-month extension of a resolution to further open the important Bab al-Hawa border crossing.
Meanwhile, a counter-proposal by Moscow, which would have provided for an extension of six months, also failed. The Security Council must now negotiate a new compromise. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “disappointed”. A spokesman said the United Nations still had aid supplies stored in Syria. However, Bab al-Hawa must be reopened as soon as possible. 85 percent of all goods destined for the Northwest would be delivered through this crossing.
Support needed for 4.1 million people
According to the UN emergency aid organization Ocha, Bab al-Hawa was closed overnight because the mandate had expired. Much of the humanitarian aid to north-west Syria passes through the border posts between Turkey and rebel-held Syrian territories. According to the United Nations, 4.1 million people need support in this region of the civil war. Russia is one of the Syrian government’s closest allies. President Bashar al-Assad wants to regain influence in rebel-held parts of the country by closing the border crossings. After the severe earthquake in Syria and Turkey a few months ago, Assad temporarily opened two more border crossings to Turkey: Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra’ee are still open. But Bab al-Hawa is much more important for the north-west of the country.
Source: Stern
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