UN aid convoy enters Syria for first time without government approval

A humanitarian aid convoy entered Syria without a permit from the Syrian government on Thursday, the United Nations said.

According to the spokeswoman of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Amanda Pitt, nine trucks have entered Syria via the borders with Turkey. The trucks were carrying food supplies, water purification tablets and shelter materials, and crossed into Syria via the Bab El-Salam crossing following authorisation from the UN.

“It is, I believe, the first convoy going into Syria through one of the four border crossings under the U.N. Security Council resolution,” Pitt said.

On 14 July, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing cross-border delivery of aid to embattled areas in Syria without government approval through four crossings – two in Turkey, one in Jordan and one in Iraq.

In his monthly report to the Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged all parties to comply with the resolution and allow free access for aid to civilians.