The holdups in aid have been due to the Syrian government's overly complex approval process, a UN official said. However, he praised the ongoing ceasefire as 'a glimmer of hope.'
Image: Getty Images/O.Kadour
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What in essence should be a simple, two-step approval process allowing humanitarian aid convoys to enter Syrian conflict zones " has become, in practice, a 10-step process," the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council this week.
"We continue to be blocked at every turn, by lack of approvals at central and local levels, disagreements on access routes, and violation of agreed procedures at checkpoints by parties to the conflict," he added, broadening his critique to also indict non-governmental participants in Syria's ongoing warfare.
Staggering numbers in need
In December 2016, the UN requested governmental approval to assist 930,250 individuals in besieged areas. Though Syrian governmental officials did respond to the organization's plans within the agreed-upon seven-working-days timeframe, "administrative delays on the part of the government" obstructed delivery efforts. As a result, humanitarian aid reached only 6,000 civilians that month, and only after over 23,000 medical items had been removed from the convoy.
Aid has reached only a fraction of those in needImage: REUTERS/A. Ismail
Thus far in January, despite a nearly one-month old ceasefire, the UN has not had greater success in delivering aid and assistance. A single convoy reached 40,000 individuals in the locality of Muadamiya, a mere fraction of those in need. O'Brien noted that assistance to that area was requested in last November's plan.
According to the organization's latest statistics, around 644,000 people are currently living in 13 besieged areas, a decrease from the previous month due to the evacuation of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
O'Brien expressed concern on Thursday over the stockpiled humanitarian supplies found in the area which government forces regained control over in late December. He indicated that the UN was looking into the issue further.
Some 9 million people hungry
The UN World Food Program also participated in the session before the Security Council and highlighted Syria's continually worsening food situation. It reported 9 million Syrians were in need of food and sustenance, the agency said. Food production remains at minimal levels due to the unstable situation and infrastructure damage inflicted over the course of the ongoing, six-year-long civil war.
Only a political solution will put an end to the country's humanitarian crisis, O'Brien concluded, as he appealed to the Council to support upcoming UN-led negotiations.
cmb/jm (AP, EFE)
The battle for Aleppo
Re-establishing full control over Aleppo has been seen as critical to the fortunes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a multi-sided civil war now in its sixth year.
Image: Reuters
Aleppo before the war
Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafiz al-Assad ruled the country with an iron grip and draconian state of emergency laws. Many experts believed that after Hafiz handed over the reins to his son Bashar, the latter would pave the way for a "Damascus spring" and usher in political and economic reform.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Haidar
2011: Violence breaks out
But instead, Bashar chose to stick to the old by suppressing the opposition with the help of Syria's dreaded security forces. His repressive leadership came under heavy pressure as it tried to stifle growing protests among its population with a brutal crackdown.
Image: dapd
2012: Rebels take parts of Aleppo
In early 2012, rebels took control of the rural areas northwest of Aleppo. Protesters were shot at for the first time in July and rebels started to fight for the city itself. Poorer eastern districts quickly fell to the insurgents.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
2013: Rebel gains
People ran for their lives upon hearing a nearby plane dropping bombs during a protest against President Assad in the al-Katerji Tariq district in Aleppo February 22, 2013. After losing the international highway between Hama and Aleppo, the government fought to keep alternative supply lines south of Aleppo accessible.
Image: Reuters/M. Salman
Umayyad Mosque destroyed
In April 2013, the minaret of Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque, which was built between the 8th and 13th centuries, collapsed after being struck during fighting. After nine months of fighting that devastated many districts in Aleppo, rebels controlled more than half of the city.
Image: Reuters/M. Barakat
Suffering citizens and first barrel bombs
A father mourns the death of his two children. The western, government-held half of Aleppo comes under almost complete siege as rebels briefly cut the alternative route. The first barrel bombs were dropped on Aleppo in December 2013.
Image: Reuters
2014: Rebels and government both consolidate positions
Members of the Civil Defence rescue children in the al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, June 2, 2014. The government's control of the skies starts to show as it increasingly uses jets and helicopters to strike rebels.
Image: Reuters/S. Kitaz
2015: Massive rebel gains and Russian intervention
A general view shows a damaged street with sandbags used as barriers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, March 6, 2015. A series of rebel advances put the government under pressure in northwest Syria.
Image: Reuters/H. Katan
Putin meets Assad in Moscow
Russian President Putin and Syrian President Assad met in Moscow, October 20, 2015. Soon after, the first Russian air strikes took place. Although Russia announced that its air force was ready to provide support to the Free Syrian Army in its fight against the "Islamic State", Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also stressed that his forces were still backing Assad.
Image: Reuters/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/A. Druzhinin
2016: The siege and bombardment of Aleppo
Syrians reaching out for Russian food aid. The text on the bag, which shows the Syrian and Russian national flags, reads: "Russia is with you". In July, government forces fully encircled eastern Aleppo for the first time. The siege was broken ten days later by a rebel counterattack.
Image: Reuters/O. Sanadiki
Evacuation of Aleppo
After months of intense bombardment in which many hospitals were hit, the Russian and Syrian governments urged rebels and civilians to evecuate east Aleppo. On December 13, insurgents agreed to withdraw in a ceasefire deal. The evacuation began the next day.
