ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Dozens of business owners and oil traders in Erbil have organized a new humanitarian aid convoy to northeast Syria (Rojava), dispatching 25 trucks loaded with food and relief supplies in a renewed show of support for fellow Kurds in the enclave, in response to a call for solidarity by President Masoud Barzani.
The initiative brings together 160 refinery owners and fuel traders from Erbil.
Didar Barzani, a refinery owner and one of the donors, told Rudaw on Tuesday, “When President [Masoud] Barzani delivered a speech calling for aid to our brothers and sisters in Rojava, we responded with great enthusiasm and launched a campaign among traders in Erbil province’s fuel market.”
Meanwhile, Abdullah Saeed, chairman of the Erbil Refinery Owners Council, said the sector has consistently answered calls for national solidarity.
“Whenever Kurdistan or our homeland has needed us, refinery owners and Erbil’s fuel market have been ready to step up. We launched this aid campaign, and all our brothers participated - thanks to them. I thank them all,” he told Rudaw.
Similarly, Wali Omar, another refinery owner involved in the effort, detailed the convoy’s contents: “Nine trucks loaded with flour, seven with food, six with potatoes, two with blankets and mattresses, and one with onions,” he said.
The convoy is scheduled to arrive in Rojava on Wednesday via the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF). More than 300 trucks of various forms of aid have previously been sent through the foundation.
The initiative by Erbil business owners comes amid a broader surge in humanitarian assistance to Rojava, following military tensions, displacement, and harsh winter conditions that have strained civilian life.
Last week, around 130 trucks carrying 10 tons of aid were dispatched to Rojava. The humanitarian assistance, valued at more than 1.3 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately $932,000), was sent to the Kurdish-led Rojava as part of Rudaw’s Ranj campaign, led by lead anchor Ranj Sangawi.
Aid convoys to Rojava come after weeks of intense clashes, following a large-scale attack by the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in areas in northern and northeastern Syria.
The United Nations refugee agency told Rudaw that the fighting displaced some 100,000 people, the majority of whom are Kurds.
On Friday, the SDF and the Syrian interim government announced they had reached a comprehensive agreement, bringing an end to the clashes.
The deal, brokered by international powers including France and the United States, saw Damascus-affiliated internal security forces enter the Kurdish cities of Hasaka and Qamishli on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Another convoy reached the outskirts of the besieged city of Kobane as well.
Horvan Rafaat contributed to this report from Erbil.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment