Workers in humanitarian organizations in northwestern Syria organized a protest sit-in today, Thursday, at the "Bab al-Hawa" border crossing with Turkey, prior to the UN Security Council holding a session to vote on a resolution extending aid to Syria.
Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that activists from inside Syria and workers in service institutions participated in the vigil, where they called on the international community to extend the UN mechanism for the entry of humanitarian aid to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, as they put it.
The Bab al-Hawa crossing is the lifeline of the opposition-controlled areas in northern Syria, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the Syrian governorates.
#urgent |
The reporter of #Idlib_TV, a protest stand in #Bab_Al-Hawa Square, for the Syrian Civil Defense and a number of organizations operating in the north of Syria, to demand the extension of the entry of humanitarian aid through the #Bab_Al-Hawa border crossing with #Turkey# Idlib TV ldlib TV https://t.co/4vq8K8zYPa pic.twitter.com/ pLEhzbSnS1
— Idlib TV (@TvIdlib) July 7, 2022
Anadolu Agency quoted Muhammad al-Hallaj, director of the Syria Response Coordinators, as expressing his fears of a catastrophe in the region, saying that stopping aid through Bab al-Hawa crossing would deprive more than two million people of food aid, and deprive more than 2.65 million people of safe drinking water.
The cessation of aid transfer will also cause the interruption of bread subsidies in more than 650 camps, and deprive more than one million people of access to bread on a daily basis, according to Al-Hallaj.
Since 2016, 99 percent of MSF supplies have been transported to northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing.
Therefore, MSF will not be able to reach the people most in need of assistance if the decision is not renewed.
The Bab al-Awy crossing must remain open.
pic.twitter.com/ML2Y9rN9O0
— Doctors Without Borders (@msf_arabic) July 6, 2022
A week ago, the "Doctors Without Borders" organization warned of the danger of not renewing the authorization to cross the aid, and said in a statement, "Border crossings remain the only viable humanitarian way to meet the growing needs in northwest Syria."
"If medical supplies are cut off, people risk losing access to health care, and if this lifeline is cut off, people will greatly lack basic food, water and health care services, leading to preventable deaths," the organization added.
Wait for the vote
Today, Thursday, the UN Security Council will vote on a draft resolution extending the mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian aid across the border without the approval of the Syrian regime, which is scheduled to expire next Sunday.
A draft resolution drafted by Norway and Ireland provides for the extension of the use of the Bab al-Hawa crossing - through which hundreds of trucks pass per month - for an additional year. Syria".
Moscow threatens to block the renewal of the mandate by vetoing it, which it has already done;
This led to the closure of other crossings used by the United Nations to deliver aid to areas outside the regime's control.
Russia preceded the vote by distributing yesterday a new draft resolution to the members of the Security Council, proposing to extend the mandate through the Bab al-Hawa crossing for a period of only 6 months.
Because of the Russian position, Norway and Ireland included - according to diplomats - in their text amendments demanded by Russia regarding the transparency of humanitarian shipments, a possible contribution to rebuilding the country, and the need to develop a mechanism for the delivery of aid through the regime.
In this context, the draft resolution proposed by Norway and Ireland calls for "immediate new international initiatives to expand humanitarian activities in Syria, including rapid rehabilitation projects, in terms of water, health and education, by international humanitarian agencies and relevant parties."