Turkish aid group sends humanitarian assistance to northern Syria

Around 11 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in Syria, and some 9 million don’t have enough to eat. More than half of the population have no jobs.

Turkish volunteers transfer boxes of humanitarian aid into the trucks to be sent to Syria in Sanliurfa, Turkey on July 8, 2020.
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Turkish volunteers transfer boxes of humanitarian aid into the trucks to be sent to Syria in Sanliurfa, Turkey on July 8, 2020.

A Turkish aid group has sent three truckloads of humanitarian aid to vulnerable people in Idlib, northwestern Syria, on Wednesday where millions need assistance due to internal conflict in the country.

Osman Gerem, head of the Sanliurfa Humanitarian Aid Platform, said that for nearly a decade the organisation has been trying to deliver aid to people who have been refugees and victims of the war in Syria.

“There has been a great massacre and humanitarian plight in Idlib since February. While people died from freezing and cold in winter, before today, unfortunately, they were tested by heat and hunger,” he added.

“Throughout history, we have always stood with the victims and oppressed as a nation. The virtue and generosity that our ancestors passed onto us will once again be a blessing and joy in the hearts of our brothers and sisters.”

He also said, “Let’s empathise with people who have to live in those quarters where there’s no water and electricity these summer days. I hope we will continue to extend our helping hands by thinking about how they struggle for life. I want to thank once again those who contributed to the departure of our charity trucks.”

On Tuesday, Russia and China have vetoed a UN resolution in the 15 member Security Council that would have maintained two border crossing points from Turkey to deliver humanitarian aid to Idlib.

READ MORE: Russia and China veto extension of cross-border aid into Syria's northwest

READ MORE: Turkey has become a key support to refugees during the pandemic

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A Turkish aid group sends three trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to Syria on July 8, 2020.

Thousands of UN aid convoys since January

Separately, the UN sent 49 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Idlib.

According to the UN, 70 percent of Idlib province’s 3 million residents need humanitarian assistance.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) has sent 8,468 humanitarian aid convoys to Syria since January, including 1,613 through Turkey.

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Perpetual turmoil

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al Assad regime cracked down on protests.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.

Around 11 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and some 9 million don’t have enough to eat. More than half of the population have no jobs.

Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia.

The area has been the subject of multiple ceasefire agreements, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.

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