Status: 02/13/2023 11:07 p.m
According to UN Secretary General Guterres, Syria’s ruler Assad has agreed to open two more border crossings to enable aid for the victims of the devastating earthquake. The aid deliveries are of “highest urgency”.
The news comes as a surprise. In the days after the devastating earthquake, the United Nations was only able to deliver aid to northern Syria through a border crossing, which was also damaged. UN Secretary-General António Guterres and representatives of Western countries had unsuccessfully appealed to the Syrian ruler Assad to open more border crossings.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Giffiths has now told UN Security Council members that Assad has agreed to open two additional crossings between Turkey and Syria for aid shipments – initially for three months. Griffiths had previously met with the Syrian President in Damascus.
Guterres: “Top priority”
Secretary-General Guterres welcomed the decision. While the number of victims of the earthquake continues to rise, aid deliveries to the millions affected are of “highest urgency”. The opening of the border crossings makes it possible for more goods to get to the people more quickly.
Members of the UN Security Council had previously announced that they would open further border crossings due to the Syrian regime’s inaction. A corresponding text should be voted on this week.
UN: Up to 5.3 million homeless in Syria
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Turkish-Syrian border area on Monday. According to the authorities, around 31,600 fatalities were recovered in Turkey by Monday. At least 3,688 people have died across the border in Syria.
According to UN estimates, up to 5.3 million people could have become homeless in Syria alone as a result of the earthquake. Aid is slow to arrive in Syria after the earthquake. Twelve years of civil war had a devastating impact on the healthcare system.