France has sent humanitarian aid to a government-controlled area near Damascus after Russia agreed to facilitate its delivery. It's the first joint humanitarian aid effort in Syria between Russia and a Western country.
Syrian Red Crescent trucks in eastern Ghouta in MarchImage: picture alliance/AP Photo/Syrian Arab Red Crescent
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France and Russia have agreed to send 50 metric tons of medical aid to government-controlled eastern Ghouta in Syria, French officials said on Friday.
A Russian cargo plane arrived late Friday in Chateauroux in central France to take the aid, which includes medical supplies and other essential goods, to a Russian military base in northwestern Syria.
Once in Syria, the cargo will be distributed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with the help of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
"The aim of this project is to enable civilian populations better access to aid," according to a joint Franco-Russian statement. "Humanitarian assistance is an absolute priority and must be distributed in accordance with principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence across all Syrian territory without exception, where international humanitarian law must be fully respected."
The French aid is worth about €400,000 ($469,000) and it aims to help 500 seriously wounded people and another 15,000 with minor ailments.
More aid efforts to come?
France has received assurances from Russia that the Syrian government will provide all the necessary approvals for the convoy to make the journey to Damascus. Paris also does not expect the aid to be used by Syrian authorities for political means.
The cooperation comes after months of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. It is the first time a western country has delivered aid to government-controlled areas with Russia's help.
Hundreds have been killed in one of the Syrian regime's most intense bombing campaigns since the war began in 2011. DW looks at the devastation inflicted on one of the last rebel-held towns.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets
Enclave under siege
More than 1,500 people have been killed since Syrian government troops backed by Russia launched a ferocious attack on eastern Ghouta on February 18. Airstrikes have reduced much of the area near Damascus to ruins. According to the UN, there were an estimated 400,000 people trapped inside the besieged enclave without access to food and water when the offensive began.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets
'Hell on earth'
The town of Douma, with its 200,000 residents, is now the only remaining Ghouta pocket still under rebel control. The full recapture of eastern Ghouta would mark a significant victory for Syrian President Bashar Assad. Referring to the month-long assault on the enclave, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded "this hell on earth" be stopped immediately.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
Reports of chemical attack
According to activists and doctors in the region, several people have suffered symptoms consistent with those triggered by a chlorine gas attack and had to be treated in hospital. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the Syrian regime that the use of chemical weapons will result in French retaliation, but the Syrian government claims it has never used this kind of munition.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
300,000 killed
A man and child look at the remains of a missile in Douma, the largest in eastern Ghouta. More than 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict began in 2011, when the government cracked down on protesters who were calling for the release of political prisoners and for President Assad to step down.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
'Rapid spread of malnutrition'
Activists say people in Douma have little food or water. Marten Mylius, the emergency relief coordinator for CARE in the Middle East, told DW that "after the tunnels were destroyed and the crossings closed, the price of basic foods skyrocketed. One kilo of rice now costs $4.50 (€3.66). A lot of people cannot afford that anymore. In other words, we are witnessing a rapid spread of malnutrition."
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
At the mercy of the regime
Aid access to eastern Ghouta is difficult because there is no direct route from neighboring countries. "In Idlib, for example...you can get in directly from the Turkish border. You can wait with supplies at the border and then bring in the convoy. It is much more difficult in eastern Ghouta," Mylius told DW.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
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Paris has made a €50 million commitment for aid to Syria, but most of it has been used in the Raqqa region, where France has a military presence.
Pro-government forces recaptured eastern Ghouta after besieging the region for several years as part of Syria's seven-year civil war. Forces launched a final brutal bombing assault in April with the help of their Russian allies.
Since April, little aid has entered the region, where around 500,000 people live.
If the delivery and distribution of the aid runs smoothly, this could make way for more UN aid efforts, which have often faced obstacles getting approved by the Syrian government, officials said.
