Syria Faces Humanitarian Catastrophe if Turkish Border Is Closed
Voice of America
GENEVA - U.N. agencies warn of a humanitarian catastrophe if the Turkish border crossing into northwest Syria is closed, preventing aid agencies from delivering life-saving assistance to millions of Syrians displaced by war.
In the next two weeks, the U.N. Security Council will decide whether the Bar al-Hawa crossing at the Turkish border will remain open. It is the last remaining border crossing through which humanitarian aid can be transported into Syria. The World Food Program says the renewal of the U.N. resolution allowing the continued cross-border operation into northwest Syria through Turkey is critical. WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri says the lives of millions of people are at stake. "Some 2.4 million people depend entirely on cross-border assistance for their basic needs, including food,” Phiri said. "WFP alone currently provides lifesaving support to about 1.35 million Syrians who are living in the northwest through monthly food rations. This accounts for about 80 percent of all cross-border food assistance.”FILE - A child kicks a football in front of a mural of the country's first Black president and leader of the ruling African National Congress Nelson Mandela, in Soweto, South Africa, as the country celebrates Freedom Day, on April 27, 2024. FILE - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, center, dances to music as he attends Freedom Day celebrations in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 27, 2024. FILE - Main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party leader John Steenhuisen waves to supporters in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb. 17, 2024, at the party's manifesto launch ahead of the 2024 general elections. FILE - Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema at the party's manifesto launch in Durban, South Africa, on Feb. 10, 2024. FILE - Former South African president, Jacob Zuma, sings and dances after addressing his supporters of the UMkhonto WeSizwe, (MK) party outside the High court in Johannesburg, South Africa, on April 11, 2024.
Ella Anthony, left, and her partner Doris Ezuruike Chinons pose for a photo with their dog Paddy, during an interview in their house in Passo Corese, near Rome, Italy, March 11, 2024. Ella Anthony and her partner Doris Ezuruike Chinons show photos of themselves during an interview in their house in Passo Corese, near Rome, Italy, March 11, 2024. FILE - Chris Agiriga, 23, one of the Nigerian men arrested on charges of public display of affection with members of the same sex, walks with a friend on the streets of Mushin in Lagos, Feb. 14, 2020. Ella Anthony smiles during an interview in the supermarket where she works, in Rome, Italy, March 26, 2024.
FILE- The world's largest mud-brick building, the Great Mosque of Djenne, Mali, awaits its annual replastering, May 10, 2024. Former guide Kola Bah, who has been unemployed since Mali's conflict started and now sells from his small herd of cattle when he needs to make ends meet, poses for a photograph in Djenne, Mali, May 9, 2024. The streets of old town Djenne, Mali, once filled with tourists, stand empty, May 9, 2024.
FILE - Children attend a makeshift class in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, April 21, 2024. FILE - Manal Al Buhaisi works with children at a makeshift class in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 21, 2024. FILE - Children attend an activity at a makeshift class in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, April 21, 2024.