UN leaders urge extension of border aid lifeline to northwest Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Prominent United Nations leaders urged Monday for an extension of a crucial cross-border aid mechanism into rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey which is set to expire next week, warning against “catastrophic” consequences should the Security Council fail to agree on its extension.

“If the Council fails to extend it, the consequences will be catastrophic for 4.1 million people in non-Government-controlled areas. Most are women and children who need assistance just to survive at the peak of winter and amidst a serious cholera outbreak,” reads a statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) signed by top UN officials.

The cross-border mechanism at the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only way UN aid can be delivered to northwest Syria without having to traverse through areas controlled by the Syrian government. The mandate has been in effect since 2014 and briefly expired on July 10 before being reinstated with a six-month extension a day later.

“Without UN cross-border operations, millions of people, especially those displaced for years and multiple times, will not have access to food and shelter, to help in coping with harsh winter conditions,” the statement continued, adding that the UN’s Monitoring Mechanism (UNMM) will also come to an end should the Security Council fail to extend the aid lifeline.

The previous one-day expiry of the mechanism was due to Russia’s vetoing of an extension, with Moscow sharing strong ties and being a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in its quest to crush rebel forces and retake control of the country’s territory. Russia has aimed to reduce the cross-border aid into the rebel-held northwest and seeks to eliminate it entirely.

According to the UN, the humanitarian assistance provided through the cross-border mechanism reached “an average of 2.7 million people every month” in 2022.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last month that millions of Syrian living in the northwest may not survive dire winter conditions if aid deliveries from Turkey are not continued.

UN leaders urge extension of border aid lifeline to northwest Syria

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