On 6 February 2023, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake
struck southern and central Turkey, as well as northern and western Syria,
killing thousands of people and toppling residential buildings across the two
countries.
Many international organisations and countries sent relief
aid to Turkey and Syria. However, it is still difficult to send aid to Syria.
Syria is struggling to get aid even after the destructive earthquake.
On Sunday, the United Nations said that the authorities were
waiting for approval from the hardline group to send aid into the
Opposition-controlled territory of Syria. The country is controlled by
different groups, which makes it difficult for international organisations to
send aid to Syria.
Reportedly, the northern regions of Syria have been
shattered by over a decade of conflict. Most parts of Syria are under the
control of the Damascus government. The relief aid is split between rebel areas
and Damascus.
The northwest part of the country is divided between land de
facto controlled by Turkey and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, while Syria’s northeast is
mostly held by US-backed Kurdish-led groups.
Dr Mohammed Zaher Sahloul, president of the MedGlobal, told
Arab News, “Syria is four Syrias. Each part is controlled by a different
governing body and different entity.” Dr Mohammed said it became difficult to
receive relief aid in Syria. The deep divisions were aggravated by the
country's 12-year war.
The United States and European Union have also sanctioned
Bashar Assad’s regime. In recent days, many ministers urged the US and EU to
drop sanctions. Khaled Hboubati, the president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent
(SARC), urged the US to lift sanctions on Syria. Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeswoman, Mao Ning, also urged the US to lift its sanctions on Syria.
However, the US and EU officials are reluctant to do that. The officials said
that sanctions have nothing to do with the aid. The officials also accused the
Assad regime of manipulating the relief aid.
Earlier, Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations,
said, “We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. Looking for
international help that hasn’t arrived.”
Earlier, the UN delivered aid to the northwest Idlib area of
the country through a single crossing at Bab Al-Hawa.
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