With the aid of the balance, Syrians fleeing Assad fear deeper suffering Reuters

Mahmoud Hasano

Idlib, Syria (Reuters)-Many Syrians hiding in the rebel-controlled northwestern part of the country who fled their homes to escape the rule of President Bashar al-Assad are worried that their Fate may once again be in his hands.

Russia, Assad’s main ally, wants UN aid to the region to go through the capital Damascus instead of Turkey, which has triggered fears that the food they depend on will fall under the control of the oppressors.

The UN’s current authorization to provide assistance from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing will expire on Saturday. Although Western members of the UN Security Council want to extend and expand it, Russia and China’s veto powers are cautious about extending it.

Russia skipped negotiations on the issue on Tuesday.

Hossam Kaheil fled to Idlib when he was defeated in the Ghouta rebellion on the outskirts of Damascus in 2018. He does not believe that if the supply line changes, the Syrian authorities will allow aid to pass.

“The situation in Idlib is very good, but if they close the border crossing, there will be a humanitarian disaster,” said the 36-year-old man. He recalled that the Syrian army was so hungry that he was besieging the ancient tower in 2014. Had to eat animal feed.

He added that two of his siblings died due to medical shortages during the siege, which UN investigators said was the longest in modern history.

United Nations assistance across the Turkish border has helped provide food, medicine and water to the millions of Syrians who are still under the control of anti-Assad insurgents in the last part of Syria.

Syria stated that it is committed to facilitating the delivery of United Nations aid from the country. The Syrian Ministry of Information did not respond to e-mail questions raised by Reuters for this article.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies should be allowed to observe whether there is suspicion of theft, although he believes it will not happen.

Russian leverage

This battle marked the diplomatic front of a war that has been in a military stalemate for many years. Moscow and Damascus are trying to reaffirm their sovereignty over a corner of Syria that is not under their control.

Since taking back most of Syria with the help of Russia and Iran, Assad has been working hard to advance further: Turkish troops blocked his roads in the northwest, while US troops are on the Kurdish-controlled eastern ground, where there are Oil fields, farmland and land to the Iraqi location.

Government-controlled Syria and other parts of the country are in an economic crisis. Assad’s reconstruction and economic recovery plan faced new resistance last year due to new sanctions imposed by the United States.

Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said: “This is the moment for Russia to leverage its leverage-a battle for strategic advantage with humanitarian issues as the fulcrum.”

“Unfortunately, in this battle between Russia and the United States, the Syrian people are the real losers.”

The United States hopes to extend the aid mission. The same is true for Turkey, which plays a role in the northwest by supporting the rebels, aid and Turkey’s boots on the ground.

The United Nations warned that if the aid operation is not restarted, it will cause a devastating blow to millions of people.

“We don’t want to see these people become pawns in the political game,” said Mark Katz, the UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syrian Crisis.

“When we should expand our operations, we are talking about reducing visits, which is really shameful.”

According to the United Nations, the number of people relying on aid in the Northwest has increased by 20% in one year to 3.4 million.

Distrust

Russia cited US sanctions as the cause of humanitarian problems. Washington’s sanctions aimed to cut off the funds of the Assad government and refused to accept this.

When Assad retreated in 2014, it was agreed that the United Nations authorized the initial delivery from four locations. The opposition in Russia and China reduced it to one last year. Russia said the operation was outdated.

Facts have proved that during the entire war, it was difficult, if not impossible, to provide assistance across the front lines.

“We have repeatedly requested the entry of the cross-line convoy… because we want the parties to enter as much as possible, but the war is not over yet,” Katz said.

“In this environment, it is difficult for the two sides to reach an agreement on the convoy crossing the front line.”

Insurgents in the northwest include groups banned as terrorists by the Security Council. Katz said UN oversight prevented aid from being diverted to armed groups, and expressed concern that the loss of such oversight might deter donors.

Durmus Aydin, secretary general of the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), who is part of the aid operation, told Reuters that it seems impossible to provide aid across the front lines at this time.

“One of the reasons this is not a realistic solution is people’s mistrust of the Syrian government and Russia.”