Explained: UN aid trucks enter northwest Syria from newly approved border crossings by Assad govt

Thousands of people have been killed since a series of earthquakes with the epicentre in neighbouring Turkey hit Syria’s border region a week ago, on February 6. While the international community rushed to send aid to the two affected countries it has been slow to reach the most affected areas of the war-torn nation. This comes as relief efforts have been hindered due to the ongoing civil war in the country which has left many Syrians angry and helpless. 

According to a tally by Reuters citing United Nations figures and Syrian media reports, more than 5,814 have died in the country out of which at least 4,400 are from the northwestern region. So far, the total death toll due to the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has surpassed 40,000, as per recent reports.

The UN in a statement said that nearly nine million Syrians have been affected by last week’s earthquake. Meanwhile, in a major reversal by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the use of two border crossings was approved to supply aid to the rebel-held region, late Monday.

Here’s why war-torn Syria has struggled to procure aid a week after devastating earthquakes:

How the civil war has fractured Syria into parts

After over a decade of conflict, Syria has been divided into parts which have proved to be a major hurdle for aid workers to overcome as they attempt to reach the rebel-held northwestern part of the country, also the hardest hit by the recent earthquakes, for help those affected by the disaster. The region is said to be controlled by Turkish-backed fighters and opposition groups including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Islamist group with ties to Al-Qaeda. 

According to the United Nations, even before the earthquake at least four million people in the rebel-held region were in need of humanitarian aid. In contrast, the countries which back the Syrian president’s government including Russia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates have been sending aid to their region for the past week. Meanwhile, northeastern Syria which is mostly held by United States-backed Kurdish-led groups has reportedly been less affected by the earthquake. 

What are the existing routes to supply aid to Syria?

Following the earthquake, the Syrian government which still controls a majority of the country has said that foreign countries should respect their sovereignty and aid for any part of Syria should enter via their territory. However, the opposition-held northwest had reportedly received no assistance from the United Nations via Turkey until Thursday, the route for which the UNSC requires approval every six months. 

The route in question is the Bab al-Hawa crossing which is the only route into Syria as Russia, the permanent member of the UN Security Council and also backs Assad’s government has in the past vetoed the use of the multiple other crossings via Ankara. Therefore, for years now foreign aid has been entering the northwestern Idlib province from Turkey. 

What has been happening since the earthquake struck?

Moscow also recently only approved the opening of a single crossing from Turkey and argued that UN aid should instead be sent through Damascus. While the UN has blamed the damage to the roads leading up to the only approved route they can take. Meanwhile, the US and countries in Europe, some of whom have sanctioned Assad and his government remain reluctant to take the route via Damascus and an earthquake would not change that as the officials from the countries have made clear, as per reports. 

“The world left us to our own destiny facing the criminal Bashar al-Assad. But this is a natural disaster,” said Ibahim Bakkour, a local council member to NPR. “There’s no political argument here; it’s a humanitarian situation and we need help.” The report also said how residents of the northwestern town of Jinderis in Syria “heard the screams of those trapped under the rubble but, without the right machinery and equipment, were powerless to save them.”

“We don’t understand. Why are we alone?”, said the town’s mayor, Mahmoud Hafar to NPR. As of Friday, some 850 bodies had reportedly been pulled from the rubble while the Syrian civil defence workers were working to look for the hundreds of others who were missing. On Sunday, earthquake aid by the UN from the government-controlled region to the opposition-controlled territory was held due to “approval issues”. 

Additionally, on Thursday, last week a convoy from the Kurdish-led northeast to the rebel-held northwest was stopped by the Turkey-backed faction, while both sides have since blamed each other for politicising the humanitarian aid. Therefore, sending aid from the front lines has also proven to be difficult. 

Furthermore, a source from the HTS group told Reuters that the group will not allow shipments from the government-held parts of Syria and that aid would come from Turkey. “We won’t allow (Assad’s) regime to take advantage of the situation to show they are helping,” said the anonymous source to the news agency. 

As of Monday, some 58 trucks carrying aid have reached the opposition-held territory which comprised food, tents and medicines but not equipment and machinery requested by White Helmets known formally as Syria Civil Defence whose group’s first responders are leading the rescue efforts in the northwest. 

Syrian President allows the use of two border crossings

The first UN convoy carrying aid to Syria’s northwest region was allowed from Turkey via the newly-opened Bab al-Salam crossing, on Tuesday, reported Reuters citing two UN spokespeople. This comes after the UN had previously announced using Bab Al-Salam and al-Raee border crossings, the approval of which was received from Assad’s government for an initial three months time. 

This also comes after UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, who was visiting Syria, had been lobbying at the United Nations to open additional crossings from Turkey to deliver aid. Notably, the aid chief on Sunday had taken to Twitter and wrote, “We have so far failed the people in north-west Syria. They rightly feel abandoned. Looking for international help that hasn’t arrived.”

The announcement of the approval was made, late Monday, and welcomed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who officially confirmed it after a closed virtual meeting of the security council, where, as per diplomats, Griffiths said that the Assad government has approved the use of two new crossings. 

However, the White Helmets rescue group criticised the UN for waiting for the Syrian president’s permission. “This is shocking and we are at loss at how the UN is behaving”, said Raed al-Saleh, the head of the rescue group to Reuters, on February 14. 

In an opinion piece written for CNN by al-Saleh, on Tuesday, criticising Assad, wrote that his “intervention is a cynical move that has come far too late”. He added, “The UN’s insistence on waiting for the Syrian regime’s permission – the very regime that has bombed, gassed, starved, forcibly displaced and imprisoned millions of Syrians – is unforgivable.”

(With inputs from agencies)