Syria’s rebel-held northwest receives first UN aid convoy since earthquake

UN aid has not entered northwest Syria since the earthquake that hit the region in February left millions suffering in devastating humanitarian conditions.
Trucks move in a United Nations aid convoy en route to Syria's rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib on June 23, 2023.
Trucks move in a United Nations aid convoy en route to Syria's rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib on June 23, 2023. UN aid transited across frontlines on June 23 from regime-controlled northwest Syria to rebel-held areas for the first time since a devastating February earthquake, an AFP correspondent and a humanitarian source said. - OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images
Beatrice Farhat headshot (new)
Beatrice Farhat
@beatricefarhat

A UN aid convoy entered northwest Syria on Friday in the first such shipment into opposition-held areas since the deadly February earthquake.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on its Twitter account that several trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered northwest Syria from government-held Aleppo, in line with Security Council Resolution 2672.

The resolution, adopted in January, allows for the delivery of aid into Syria for six months from the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey.

The UN launched a cross-border aid operation into war-torn Syria in 2014 through four main entry points from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. But deliveries through three crossing points — al-Ramtha (Jordan), al-Yarubiyah (Iraq) and Bab al-Salam (Turkey) — were closed in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively, due to opposition from Russia and China. Moscow, Damascus’ main backer, insists that all aid coming into Syria must go through the government.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.

Videos

See more