Syria's Earthquake Victims Desperately Need Aid, But Can't Rely on Assad's Regime

In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit northern Syria, there has been an urgent need for humanitarian aid in the region, which has been complicated by the ongoing Syrian conflict. The lack of access to the region has meant that the international humanitarian response has been much less effective than in neighboring Turkey, which has received significant international support in the wake of the earthquake. In contrast, in rebel-held northwestern Syria, where there are few international aid organizations or supplies, the lethal impact of the earthquake is compounded by the Syrian and Russian governments’ efforts to limit UN assistance across the border from Turkey, which has served as a lifeline for millions of Syrians dependent on UN-coordinated aid.

Although the Syrian government has agreed to temporarily allow two additional border crossings for three months to facilitate aid to the region, the long-term problem of governments restricting humanitarian aid remains unresolved. Russia, which has previously used veto threats to reduce the renewal period for cross-border deliveries to six months and restrict cross-border deliveries to a single point, could still carry out its threat to shut down cross-border aid at the next renewal session in July. This temporary solution also does not address the broader problem of governments restricting humanitarian aid to score political points.

There is no guarantee that in three months, the agreement will not be withdrawn, and the Syrian government has never been and is not now a reliable source of aid to areas under opposition control. The only reliable and sustainable avenue for aid to civilians throughout northern Syria has been deliveries across the Turkish border. Although cross-line aid has been suggested as an alternative to cross-border aid, this assumes cooperation from the Assad government. Since the beginning of the civil war, the Syrian government has routinely manipulated humanitarian assistance to harm and deprive people in opposition-held areas of the country.

In 2014, under enormous pressure, Russia allowed the Security Council to approve the delivery of aid through four border crossings. However, since January 2020, Russia has used veto threats to reduce the renewal period to six months and to restrict cross-border deliveries to a single point, claiming that the Syrian government could deliver. In fact, cross-line aid accounts for less than 2.5 percent of aid to rebel-held northwestern Syria. UN agencies are currently reporting that the Assad government has stopped removing the most important items from humanitarian convoys, but given the government’s long history of manipulating and blocking aid, there is no reason to believe that this sudden reform will last if cross-border aid stops.

The earthquake has exacerbated the massive humanitarian needs in the region, where 4.1 million people were already fully dependent on humanitarian aid, including 1.8 million displaced people living precariously in so-called sites of last resort. Before the earthquake, years of Syrian and Russian bombardment had already damaged or destroyed 65 percent of the region’s infrastructure, leaving most people without safe water, sanitation, sewage, or electricity. Now that the hope of finding survivors is gone, the urgent need in northwestern Syria is for an immediate influx of humanitarian assistance.

The manipulation of access is a defining feature of the long-running Syrian conflict and is itself a key driver of humanitarian need. The lack of access to northern Syria has made clear that there is a dramatic difference in the scope and effectiveness of the international humanitarian response in Turkey compared with Syria. Providing humanitarian aid is contingent on humanitarian access. However, since the beginning of the civil war, the Syrian government has routinely manipulated humanitarian assistance to harm and deprive people in opposition-held areas of the country.

The problem is not just confined to the region affected by the earthquake. Since the Syrian government has never been and is not now a reliable source of aid to areas under opposition control, a new approach is needed to address the issue of humanitarian access in Syria. The world's ability to respond to humanitarian need is being hampered by