Syria extends permission for UN aid crossings to continue earthquake relief work

Syria has extended its permission for the UN to use two additional border crossings for earthquake relief efforts for another three months.

The announcement was made by Bassam Sabbagh, Syria’s ambassador to the UN.

Mr Sabbagh said on Twitter on Saturday that the UN’s access to the border crossings of Bab Al Salama and Al Rai would be extended until August 13.

This decision comes after the initial approval granted by Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on February 13, a week after the earthquake that killed more than 55,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

The agreement was set to expire on Saturday.

The extension followed a request from the UN on Friday.

Mr Al Assad’s agreement to open the crossings in February came after diplomatic intervention from the UAE.

The decision from Damascus allowed aid to be delivered to opposition-held areas in north-wesern Syria.

The UN has had a Security Council mandate to use the Bab Al Hawa border crossing to deliver aid to millions in the north-west since 2014.

The opening of the additional crossings was considered by aid agencies to be a significant step in increasing deliveries.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake, which struck near the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, caused substantial damage in both countries.

The tremor hit at a time when most people were indoors, making the scale of casualties caused by collapsing structures worse.

Images of residential building reduced to rubble or left with gaping holes showed the extent of the crisis.

The earthquake’s aftermath has highlighted the critical importance of maintaining humanitarian access in north-western Syria.

The region is home to millions of people who rely heavily on the aid delivered through these border crossings after years of civil war.

Amnesty International said assistance delivered through the crossings would remain legal under international law regardless of whether the extension was granted.

The critical nature of UN cross-border relief operations is essential to prevent further suffering of the civilians in north-western Syria, the organisation said.

The response to the earthquake also emphasises the need for continued international co-operation in the face of disaster, aid groups said.

Countries including the UAE, the Netherlands and Romania stepped in to provide crucial humanitarian support, the groups said.

As the region continues to tackle the aftermath of the quake, the continued access to border crossings for humanitarian operations will play a crucial role in the recovery process, the groups said.