UN chief welcomes Syria decision to open aid corridors

The UN Secretary-General has welcomed the decision on Monday by the Syrian president to open two further crossing points on the Turkish border to allow more aid into the stricken northwest of the country.

Only a single crossing point - Bab al-Hawa - has been open to humanitarians since the 6 February earthquakes struck across the border region of southern Türkiye and northwest Syria, which has been in the grip of civil war for the past 12 years, and is the last remaining region partly under the control of opposition forces.

“I welcome the decision today by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to open the two crossing points of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee from Türkiye to northwest Syria for an initial period of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid”, António Guterres said in a statement.

As hope fades of bringing more survivors out alive from the ruins, in Syria, more than 4,300 deaths had been reported in the northwest on Sunday. 

It’s clear that “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”, added Mr. Guterres.

“Opening these crossing points - along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs”, he added, “will allow more aid to go in, faster.”

UN disaster relief teams in Syria

An UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team composed of seven members reached Syria and is supporting the response in Aleppo, Latakia and Homs, said Mr. Dujarric. Currently, eight international rescue teams are working in the earthquake impacted areas in Syria.

“The UN is working to rapidly scale up its assistance, including through the cross-border aid operations into the northwest”, he added, before news of President Assad’s decision had been announced.

On Monday afternoon in New York, the Security Council held a private meeting, reportedly to discuss the speeding up of aid to stricken areas of northwest Syria.

On Monday, six trucks carrying food and non-food items from the World Food Programme (WFP) crossed through Bab al-Hawa crossing, the UN Spokesperson said.

“Since 9 February, a total of 58 trucks loaded with essential humanitarian assistance crossed into the northwest Syria from southern Türkiye.”