The Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) is among the few charities able to run comprehensive humanitarian aid campaigns in war-torn Syria, especially in the northern parts close to the Turkish border. As Syria prepares to mark 11 years since the unrest began in March 2011, Turkey’s humanitarian aid juggernaut remains active in conflict-ridden, disaster-hit areas across the world, continuing its support for the affected population.
President of the charity Kerem Kınık says they have dispatched 65,000 trucks full of humanitarian aid to date and that the Turkish Red Crescent's operations cater to the affected population across different regions of Syria. The Red Crescent sent more than 5,000 truckloads of humanitarian aid into Syria last year alone and Kınık says that this year they plan to increase the amount of aid distributed to families in need in the country.
In addition to providing basic supplies such as food and drinking water, the Red Crescent assists with health care and accessing education and psychiatric support. Back in Turkey, it runs programs that provide incentives for Syrian refugees to return to Syrian towns where security has been restored.
Kınık told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that the Cilvegözü border crossing between Turkey and Syria is the only point of entry for humanitarian aid to Idlib, a hub of displaced people in the country's north in need of emergency aid. Last month, the United Nations had extended the authorization of cross-border aid to Syria through the Cilvegözü border crossing, also known as Bab al-Hawa, for another six months. Despite the Bashar Assad regime not approving of the aid, the U.N. Security Council had earlier agreed to continue cross-border deliveries into the country's northwest for another six months, lasting until Jan. 10, 2022, before the latest extension. The aid sent through the crossing primarily serves the roughly 3 million people living in the Idlib region, which remains outside the control of the Assad forces.
The Turkish Red Crescent will also increase its shipments of flour to Syria this year, Kınık says. The charity cooperates with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and the Turkish Grain Board to send the kitchen staple to the country, delivering 100,000 tons of flour to Syria. The charity also runs bakeries across Syria that use the flour to bake bread for those in need. “We will continue our humanitarian aid activities as long as our resources allow both in Syria and here in Turkey for Syrian refugees,” Kınık said.
Last month, Turkish humanitarian organizations stepped up aid efforts for families living in Idlib province in the winter as freezing temperatures battered the region. The Idlib region is home to a large population of internally displaced people and is one of the last Syrian enclaves to oppose the Assad regime in Damascus.
Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia in March 2020. However, the Assad regime has consistently violated the cease-fire terms, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.
More Syrians need humanitarian assistance now than ever since the country's civil war began in 2011, the U.N.’s deputy humanitarian chief said last week, a sign that “the world is failing the Syrian people.” Assistant Secretary-General Joyce Msuya told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that this week’s assessment of humanitarian needs found that 14.6 million Syrians will depend on assistance this year, a 9% increase from 2021 and a 32% increase from 2020. “This cannot be our strategy,” she said, stressing that Syria now ranks among the 10 most food insecure countries globally, with 12 million people having limited or uncertain access to food. Msuya said Syria’s economy is spiraling further downward, food costs keep rising and people are going hungry. The cost of feeding a family of five with only basic items has almost doubled over the past year.
Families are now spending on average 50% more than they earn, which has meant borrowing money to get by, she said. This has forced “unbearable choices,” including pulling children, especially girls, out of school and increasing child marriages.
“Female-headed households, older persons without family support, persons with disabilities, and children are disproportionately impacted,” Msuya said.
She urged donors to respond generously to the U.N.’s upcoming humanitarian appeal for Syria for 2022, which will be geared towards ”increasing resilience” and access to basic services, including water. “We need more funding and we need to scale up early recovery programing alongside our life-saving work,” Msuya said. “But most importantly, Syrians need peace.”
Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011 has killed half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, including more than 5 million refugees mostly in neighboring countries. Though fighting has subsided in recent months, there are still pockets controlled by the Syrian opposition, where millions of people live.
