International Aid to Syria’s Earthquake-Affected Areas Faces Challenges

Governments and international organisations worldwide have offered aid and assistance to Syria after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks, the largest of which was 7.5 in magnitude, struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria early Monday morning local time. However, aid response and coordination efforts have been hampered by the destruction of roads and highways, weather conditions, fuel shortages, and territorial fragmentation across regime-opposition political lines, among other things.

The Turkey-Syria earthquakes, which have killed over 6,000 people until now, have mainly affected the Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, Hama, and Lattakia governorates and severely damaged residential and public buildings, roads, and highways. The World Health Organisation warned that the number of casualties could exceed 20,000.

In Northwest Syria, where 4.1 million of the 4.5 million inhabitants are dependent on humanitarian aid for survival, the consequences have been particularly devastating. Due to the risk of collapsing buildings, residents who survived the quake have been left outside in freezing temperatures, without drinking water, electricity, and fuel for heating.

Dozens of countries have extended condolences and support to Syria (see below), yet humanitarian organisations have faced serious challenges in mobilising available resources and coordinating an adequate aid response. 

The earthquake’s epicentre was in southern Turkey, where Gaziantep, the most important UN aid hub for northern Syria, was among the cities severely affected. 

Arnaud Quemin, the regional director of Mercy Corps, an international humanitarian organisation, told Al-Jazeera that following the earthquake, “communications were spotty, so we had a hard time reaching our staff.” Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera correspondent Sinem Koseoglu reported that rescue operations were also hindered due to damaged infrastructure and weather conditions: “Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana and Kahramanmaras airports have been closed to civilian aviation since yesterday morning because, in some of the airports, the runways have been destroyed. They are literally broken, cracked, and the highways are in the same position, especially between Hatay and Gaziantep.”

Such damages have made it increasingly difficult for rescue teams to reach affected areas. With roads and highways connecting Syria and Turkey damaged, humanitarian organisations have reported that reaching Northwest Syria through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing point, which has been the only authorised entry point for aid into opposition-held areas for the last few years, remains difficult. 

Although the crossing survived the earthquake, Madevi Sun-Suona of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance told Reuters that “some roads are broken, some are inaccessible. There are logistical issues that need to be worked through… We don’t have a clear picture of when it will resume.” 

Some sources have reported that the Bab Al-Hawa crossing is now open to humanitarian convoys, but this remains unconfirmed at the time of writing. Bab Al-Hawa has been the last lifeline for Syrians in the northern region. 

Officials from the United Nations’ World Food Programme told The New York Times on February 07 that the agency was using aid reserves already inside Syria for its response; however, supplies are limited. Julien Barnes-Dacey, the director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told the U.S.-based media outlet that “if Bab al-Hawa is not functioning, technically speaking, there wouldn’t seem to be any other way to get cross-border aid into northwestern Syria.”

On February 07, during a press conference after meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Syria’s UN Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh was asked by reporters whether Syria would agree to allow the UN to deliver aid through other crossing points from Turkey. Although Mr Sabbagh did not respond directly, he said the government would coordinate humanitarian deliveries “to all Syrians in all territories of Syria.” 

With the support of its allies, Russia and China, the Syrian government has long lobbied against the cross-border aid mechanism to areas controlled by the opposition. Unwilling to expand cross-border operations, Mr Sabbagh appeared ready to authorise cross-line aid deliveries, telling reporters that “access from inside Syria is there. So, if anyone would like to help Syria, they can coordinate with the government, and we will be ready to do so.” Moscow and Damascus have proposed a cross-line mechanism as an alternative to a cross-border one.

During a news conference on February 07, Khaled Hboubati, head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, announced that the organisation is prepared to deliver relief to both government- and opposition-held areas. Calling on the UN to coordinate, he added that the SARC is willing to “send an aid convoy through the cross-line to the stricken areas in Idlib. If [the opposition] opened a road for us, we will go.” 

The earthquake affected areas across both government- and opposition-held territories. Emma Beals, an adviser at the European Institute of Peace, tweeted that the government faces its own limits in implementing an immediate disaster response in areas under its control, namely “a major capacity problem,” as demonstrated by its inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic and coastal wildfires. Although there is an “immediate need for rescue workers and engineers to assess buildings for collapse,” Damascus faces severe shortages of experts, doctors, and engineers. 

Ms Beals added that an inadequate state response would likely further strain government-civilian relations, which have already been fraught due to the deteriorating living conditions, fuel and gas shortages, and the worsening economic crisis. 

Immediately after the earthquake on February 06, Damascus convened an emergency meeting to mobilise resources for affected areas and appeal to member states in the UN, UN agencies, and international and non-governmental organisations for support. 

Thus far, dozens of governments and NGOs have extended assistance to Syria following the earthquake. Recent international and regional support for earthquake-affected communities in Syria includes – but is not limited to – the following: 

• Arab governments and charities
  • By February 07, two Iraqi planes arrived at the Damascus airport carrying 70 tonnes of supplies each, according to SANA. The previous day, the Iraqi Red Crescent sent its Syrian counterpart a convoy carrying 60 tonnes of tents, food, and pharmaceuticals.
    Osama Mahdi Ghanem, head of the Arab Department at Iraq’s Ministry of Affairs, told the news outlet that a convoy of 28 fuel tanks would also depart from Baghdad to Syria on February 08. The World Health Organisation warned that the lack of fuel in Syria continues to pose a major challenge to relief efforts.
  • On February 07, the Lebanese Army announced that it would send 15 engineers to Syria to contribute to search and rescue efforts in affected areas. The Lebanese Red Crescent also announced that it would be sending teams to the country at the request of the Lebanese and Syrian governments and in coordination with the Syrian Red Crescent.
    Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Minister for Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh announced that Beirut would be waiving taxes and fees for humanitarian aid arriving at Lebanon’s ports and airport. Mr Hamieh told The National that the decision was motivated by the reluctance of transport companies to dock in Syria due to sanctions risks.
  • On February 07, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allocated USD 100 million to support disaster relief in Syria and Turkey after pledging USD 13.6 million to Syria the day before. It is unclear if the February 06 donation is included or will supplement the larger allocation.
    That day, an Emirati aeroplane landed at the Damascus International Airport carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid, tents, and blankets. According to the UAE’s state-owned media outlet WAM, the UAE will also send search and rescue teams to Syria, along with urgent relief supplies and emergency aid.
    According to Al-Watan, a semi-official pro-government newspaper, Syria Trust for Development, First Lady Asma Al-Assad’s NGO, also received the first batch of aid from the UAE-based, private Saudi German Hospital. The humanitarian aid was delivered to the state-owned National Hospital in Jableh, a coastal city in the Lattakia governorate.
    Abu Dhabi has been spearheading Arab rapprochement efforts with the Syrian regime, with Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad visiting the UAE last March for the first time since the outbreak of the 2011 conflict.
  • On February 07, the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency announced it would deploy 70 Palestinian experts to Turkey and Syria later this week, sending two crews comprised of the civil defence, the ministry of health, the Palestinian Red Cross, and doctors and engineers.
  • On February 07, an Algerian plane landed at the Aleppo International Airport. According to state-owned news outlet SANA, it carried a team of 110 people to assist in search and rescue operations and 115 tonnes of aid in the form of food and medical supplies, tents, and blankets.
    
  • On February 07, Qatar Charity began to equally distribute 27,000 ready-to-eat meals, worth QAR 400,000 or USD 110,000, to the earthquake victims in Northwest Syria and Turkey. The charity published a press release announcing that preparations are underway to implement 30 relief convoys that will include food and non-food items.

• Regime allies
  • On the evening of February 06, an Iranian aeroplane carrying 45 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including blankets, tents, medicine, and foodstuff, landed at the Damascus airport. Iran’s Ambassador to Syria, Mahdi Sobhani, told state-owned media outlet SANA that a second plane will soon land at the Aleppo airport, followed by a third at the Lattakia airport.
  • On February 06, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that its 300 military personnel and 60 military engineering units deployed in Syria are helping with the rescue effort.
  • On February 07, China’s Red Cross announced that it will provide USD 200,000 in aid relief to Turkey and Syria each. A spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency told state-owned media outlet China Daily that it is communicating with Turkish and Syrian authorities to provide necessary emergency assistance.
  • On February 07, Syria’s Ambassador to India thanked the Indian government for sending a plane carrying humanitarian support to assist earthquake-affected areas.

• United Nations/Western countries and charities/Israel

• • According to the Associated Press, on February 07, the United Nations said it was “exploring all avenues” to deliver humanitarian aid to opposition-held areas in Northwest Syria. It released USD 25 million from its emergency fund to help kick-start the humanitarian response in Turkey and Syria.
  • On February 06, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Syrian government requested aid from Tel Aviv. He added that Israeli rescue teams are planning to operate in Syria and Turkey without providing more details. Later, during a televised interview, Mr Netanyahu said that the request for humanitarian assistance was relayed by a “diplomatic official,” according to Reuters. The Syrian government denied requesting aid from Israel.
  • On February 06, the United States deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to earthquake-affected areas. Meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development is deploying two search and rescue teams comprising around 79 people each.
    U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price told reporters its support for Syria would not go through government channels. “Instead, we have humanitarian partners on the ground who can provide the type of assistance in the aftermath of these tragic earthquakes,” he added.
    The Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces issued a statement on Monday announcing that it is “ready to provide immediate assistance to overcome the earthquake aftermath in all Syrian territories, including providing relief support and sending rescue teams to the disaster-stricken areas.”
  • On February 07, in coordination with authorities in Turkey and Syria, the U.S.-based non-governmental organisation Action Against Hunger mobilised an emergency response team, including specialists in emergency response logistics, food and nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene.
  • On February 07, Australia’s foreign affairs and international development ministers announced that Canberra would provide an initial USD 10 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria and Turkey. Of the total, Syria will receive USD 3 million through the United Nations Children’s Fund for immediate needs, including shelter, clean water and sanitation, with a focus on women and girls.
  • On February 07, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that Wellington contributed USD 500,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for aid operations in Syria. The donation will fund the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to deliver food supplies, tents and blankets and provide lifesaving medical assistance and psychological support.
  • On February 06, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt announced that Oslo had authorised the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning to send personnel within 24 hours. She added that her government will remain in touch with humanitarian partners in Syria “to assess the provision of additional support as the impacts of the situation become more clear.”
  • On February 06, the U.S.-based humanitarian organisation Direct Relief committed USD 100,000 to the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which operates health facilities in northwest Syria. SAMS has already received over 1,000 patients affected by the earthquake.
  • On February 06, Finn Church Aid, the largest Finnish non-governmental organisation active in international aid, announced that it allocated EUR 200,000 from its disaster fund to support earthquake-affected communities in Syria. The organisation has been operating in Syria since 2019, mainly focused on education among youth.
  • On February 06, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief would “set up camps to provide shelter [and] water treatment units,” in addition to generators, tents, and blankets, according to Al-Jazeera. The minister added that Berlin would also increase its assistance to charities, providing USD 1.10 million to Malteser International towards humanitarian aid in Northwest Syria.
    A day later, Welthungerhilfe, one of Germany’s largest private aid organisations, announced that it is providing EUR 100,000 in emergency aid for Turkish and Syrian earthquake victims.
  • On February 06, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched Emergency Appeals for CHF 20 million to respond to the earthquake in Syria. Following the earthquake, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent immediately mobilised to support search and rescue operations, provide aid, transport injured people to hospitals, and perform emergency medical evaluations.
  • On February 06, Ireland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin announced that Dublin donated EUR 2 million in response to the emergency appeal for funding from the Turkish government and aid agencies working in Turkey and Northwest Syria.
  • On February 06, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mobilised its teams alongside local partners to treat around 200 people. The MSF deployed ambulances, donated blankets and essential items to displaced people in Northwest Syria, “received 160 casualties in facilities and clinics that we run or support in northern Idlib,” and provided immediate support to 23 health facilities in the Idlib and Aleppo governorate by donating medical kits and contributing medical staff.