Selangor Journal
Survivors of an earthquake sitting on the rubble of damaged buildings, in the rebel-held town of Jandaris, Syria, on February 7, 2023. — Picture by REUTERS

UN coordinator in Syria: Sanctions prevent humanitarian aid from reaching those affected in the quake

DAMASCUS, Feb 9 — The UN Resident Coordinator in Syria, Mostafa Benlamlih said the sanctions imposed on Syria hinder the humanitarian work in it, indicating that the situation now is very difficult and the humanitarian issue in it must not be politicised.

In an interview with Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Benlamlih stressed that the goal of the UN organisations is to deliver a message about the suffering of the Syrians as a result of the sanctions imposed on their country, and the harm these sanctions have had on humanitarian work, as they prevented the arrival aids to those affected by the earthquake.

He pointed out that Syria today is suffering from a double crisis as a result of the war since 2011 and the earthquake, pointing out that before the earthquake there were 15 million Syrians in need of assistance.

Monday’s massive earthquakes which centred at Kahramanmaras province, Turkiye had worsened the situation in Syria.

It was reported that over 2,500 people were killed in Syria so far.

— Bernama

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