Idlib, Syria – With the United Nations’ authorisation for the transfer of aid to Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey approaching its expiration date, concerns are rising once again about the consequences if it is not renewed for Syrians living in the opposition-controlled northwest.
On Monday, the most recent six-month extension approved by the UN Security Council will expire. In the past, Russia has threatened to use its veto to prevent any further renewals, leading local residents reliant on aid fearful every time an extension period nears its end.
The Bab al-Hawa border crossing is the sole gateway for UN humanitarian aid to enter northwestern Syria after repeated Russian objections that have reduced the number of crossings from four to just one.
Mohammed al-Fandi has been displaced from his home in Homs, a government-controlled city in western Syria, for 12 years. The 48-year-old father of 15 children currently resides in the Burj Talatah camp on the outskirts of Sarmada, a town near the Syrian-Turkish border.
“The food basket we receive every month from the World Food Programme only lasts us for a week, and its weight has been reduced to 20kg (44lb) from the previous 70kg [154lb],” al-Fandi told Al Jazeera, adding that he has long been unemployed due to a lack of job opportunities in Idlib province, forcing him to rely on aid.
“Closing the crossing to humanitarian aid means death by starvation for most camp residents,” al-Fandi said.
Source from www.aljazeera.com
