UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said preliminary assessments indicate that some 5 million people in Syria are in need of shelter and non-food assistance following the devastating earthquakes.
Griffiths stressed during a session of the UN Security Council on Syria today, Tuesday, that the risk of disease is increasing, given the conditions in the camps and the outbreak of cholera that already existed before the earthquakes.
The UN official indicated that hundreds of buildings are still at risk of collapsing, "and thousands of other buildings may need to be demolished," and said that many residents are afraid to return to their homes.
For his part, the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, called on all parties not to politicize humanitarian aid to northern Syria, stressing the need for it to arrive through all means.
Pedersen indicated that the humanitarian response in northwestern Syria was hindered by challenges related to conflict issues there.
During the same session, Richard Mills, the US deputy representative to the Security Council, made it clear that the US sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime "do not target humanitarian aid," and he said, "We have made this clear through our actions."
The US official called on the Syrian regime and Russia to facilitate the arrival of aid to the al-Rukban camp, stressing that "the situation in Syria must continue to be monitored to ensure that aid reaches those in need."
international delegation
Al-Jazeera correspondent had reported that a delegation from the United Nations Office for Coordination of Aid visited areas affected by the earthquake in northwestern Syria.
The correspondent said that the UN delegation entered from the Bab Al-Salama border crossing with Turkey towards the headquarters of the Syrian Interim Government in the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo, indicating that the interim government provided the UN delegation with a list of urgent relief supplies needed by those affected by the earthquake.
In a related context, the White Helmets said in a statement today, Tuesday, that two people had died of cholera in northwestern Syria, which is under the control of opposition fighters, in the aftermath of the earthquake.
A report by the Opposition's Support Coordination Unit in northern Syria stated that the number of people affected by the earthquake exceeded one million, indicating that the number is likely to rise during the coming period due to the significant weakness in humanitarian response operations.