‘Closure of cross border access to Syria is not an option’: says Human Appeal UK

UK humanitarian NGO Human Appeal calls on decision makers to consider the human cost of closing Northwest Syria’s aid corridor with the outside world.

The threat to humanitarian aid comes in the form of a possible non-renewal of the UN Security Council cross-border mandate for the most vital humanitarian crossing to the north west.

It has been reported that Russia’s veto at the UN Security Council to prevent the nine-month renewal of cross-border aid, aimed at assisting 4 million individuals residing in rebel-controlled north west Syria, has been condemned as an act of extreme cruelty. This action not only jeopardises the vital aid route from Turkey, which supports millions of people, but also compounds the suffering of a population already grappling with the aftermath of a destructive earthquake in February.

Since 2014, the aid operation, authorised by the UN, has been providing essential support such as food, medicine, and shelter. However, the authorisation for the border crossing at Bab al-Hawa expired on Monday.

While UN Secretary General António Guterres sought a 12-month renewal, Russia insisted on a six-month extension. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s representative to the UN, cautioned that if their proposal for a six-month extension was not backed, they would proceed with shutting down the cross-border mechanism.

The north west of Syria has a population of 4.5 million people of which 2.9 million are internally displaced people living under extremely harsh conditions. 91% of the whole population is in need of humanitarian assistance that is being provided through the Bab-al Hawa crossing. Non-renewal of the UNSC resolution will have unrepairable damage to current humanitarian efforts and further isolate the vulnerable in the region, where suffering already increased due to the devastating February earthquake.

Human Appeal insists decision makers consider these aspects to protect millions of Syrians from complete despair and extend the cross-border resolution by at least 12 months.