Idlib: Hundreds of humanitarian workers formed a human chain on Friday stretching from the border that crossed with Turkey towards a city held by rebels in Northwest Syria to protest Russian efforts to close the only border crossing that allowed assistance in areas held by the regions rebel.
More than 2,000 humanitarian workers took part in the demonstration ahead of the July 10 deadline of whether Chapter Al-Eve Crossing would remain open for assistance.
The Syrian government and its allies Russia wanted help to start coming through the part-controlled parts of the government from the torn war.
Russia has been under strong pressure from the United Nations, US, and others who warn of terrible humanitarian consequences for Syria in the rebel camp if the intersection is closed.
Russia said assistance must be delivered at the forefront of Syria, strengthening the sovereignty of the Syrian government throughout the country.
The UN Security Council began negotiations this week with a draft resolution that would continue to allow the delivery of aid through the Al-Eve chapter told Idlib and also reopened the crossing of Al-Yaroubiya from Iraq to northeast Syria.
The border crossing was closed in January last year at Russian pressure, Syria’s closest ally.
The Security Council has approved four border crossings when delivery began in 2014, three years after the Syrian conflict began.
But in January 2020, Russia used veto threats on the board to limit the delivery of aid to two border crossings, and in July 2020, the threat of veto was closed by other intersections.
“Humanitarian aid is true,” read big banners in English brought by aid workers on the road that connects Al-Eve Chapter with Idlib.
Other banners read: “Those who survived the Russian shooting would be killed by Russian veto.” WASSIM BAKEER, Health Coordinator for Violet, one of the groups participating in the human chain, said the message to the international community is “keeping the lifeline remains open.” He warned that the closure of the border intersection would have “disaster results in the humanitarian sector” which served more than 3 million people, many of them were neglected internally.
The 10-year-old Syrian conflict has killed about half a million people and fonders half of the country’s pre-war population 23 million.
That number includes more than 5 million which is a refugee outside Syria.