Earthquakes: despite the crisis, Lebanon sends aid to Syria
Audio 01:15
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib in Damascus on February 8, 2023. The Lebanese delegation traveled to Syria to show support for its neighbor after Monday's earthquakes.
PA
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
While international aid is flowing massively towards Turkey, neighboring Syria, also affected by the earthquake, does not receive the same outpouring of solidarity.
At war for twelve years with a fragmented territory and leaders under sanctions, the delivery of aid is more difficult there.
In Lebanon, a country bordering Syria, aid is being organized for the victims of the disaster despite limited resources due to the devastating economic crisis.
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With our correspondent in Beirut,
Sophie Guignon
The day after the deadly earthquake, Lebanon sent teams of rescuers, firefighters and soldiers to Syria.
Among them, 21 members of the Red Cross who operate in the region of Latakia, an area under the control of the Syrian regime.
Georges Kettaneh is the secretary general of the Lebanese Red Cross.
"
Since Tuesday, we continue to work,
" he said.
When we arrived, someone was saved.
The majority now are corpses.
It is humanitarian aid that is urgently needed to preserve the dignity of human beings.
»
In Beirut, still marked by the explosion of its port two years ago, solidarity is being organized.
In a mall, Eric Ritter, a clothing designer, appealed for donations for the families of his Syrian seamstresses whose buildings collapsed in Aleppo and Hama.
“
Thank you.
You can put the bags here.
We gather them there.
»
“
We decided to send blankets, warm coats, children's clothes and underwear first
.
Being from Beirut, having experienced a kind of disaster like that too, it's very important to give back a little to everyone around us
,” he explains.
The parcels will cross the border by bus to deliver these donations.
Larger convoys should follow in the days to come.
In Lebanon, solidarity is organized to send aid to Syrians, victims of the earthquake.
Photo taken in the Lebanese city of Sidon, February 10, 2023. REUTERS - AZIZ TAHER
► To read also:
Earthquake in Turkey: the delivery of humanitarian aid faces difficulties
Earthquake: humanitarian aid is just beginning to arrive in northern Syria
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