More than 2,500 people died in two days in Syria after the earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria. Although prompt rescue and assistance are desperately needed, it is pointed out that Syria is experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis as rescue is delayed due to long-term sanctions, international isolation, and civil war.
The New York Times (NYT) quoted UN officials on the 7th (local time) as saying that access to the Bab al-Hawa border control post in northwestern Syria on the border with Türkiye was impossible as roads were damaged by the earthquake.
The Bab al-Hawa border control post is the only passageway for UN aid supplies into rebel-controlled areas. The rebel-controlled area is only 4% of Syria’s total area, but it is home to 4.5 million people, including 3 million refugees.
According to Foreign Policy (FP), a diplomatic magazine, at least 65% of the region’s infrastructure was destroyed by the quake, and 90% of residents have to rely on relief supplies delivered through Bab Al-Hawa border control. The UN World Food Program says it is currently using stockpiled supplies in Syria, but that additional assistance is needed.
Amar Alselmo of the White Helmets, a civilian rescue unit operating in Syrian rebel-controlled areas, told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), “The scale of damage is enormous, but we are still unable to receive outside help.” But there is nothing I can do,” he said.
Construction and rescue vehicles are constantly pouring into Turkey’s borders for relief work, while volunteers are carrying out rescue operations with a handful of heavy equipment in Syria’s earthquake-stricken areas, the WSJ reported.
Citing Syrian aid organizations, the New York Times reported that access was possible to three other places besides the Bab al-Hawa border control post, but relief supplies from the international community, including the United Nations, were not delivered to the other three places after the earthquake.
Charles Lister, a senior researcher at the Center for the Middle East, said in an article for FP, “The international community has promised considerable aid to Turkey, but Syria, as usual, has been pushed back.”
In Syria, since the Arab Spring of 2011, a civil war has continued between the Assad regime and the rebels, killing 500,000 people and turning half the population into refugees. After the earthquake, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which had a cold relationship with the Assad regime in Syria, promised quick aid, but support from neighboring Middle Eastern countries is unlikely to reach rebel-controlled areas. The Assad regime is also likely to block aid to Idlib and parts of northern Aleppo, which are controlled by the Islamic extremist militant group Hayattahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Medical staff and medical facilities are also in short supply due to the long civil war and US sanctions against the al-Saad regime. There is not enough medical equipment as shipping companies are reluctant to transport logistics due to US restrictions on financial transactions in Syria.
The Syrian Red Crescent (Islamic Red Cross) urged Western countries to lift economic sanctions against Syria for relief efforts following the earthquake, but the United States drew the line that it would not cooperate with authoritarian regimes.
US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln said the day before, “We are trying to provide assistance to the Syrian people to recover from this disaster,” but “I want to emphasize that this (relief) money goes to the Syrians and not to the regime. That will not change,” he stressed.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Verbock held a press conference in Berlin on the same day and said, “The international community, including Russia, must exert influence on the Assad regime to support Northwest Syria.” “Our top priority is to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches where it is needed,” he said.
