Assad regime approves extension of UN aid into NW Syria

The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad has extended its ‘permission’ for the United Nations to continue delivering aid to opposition-held north-west Syria for another three months, amid the UN’s insistence on gaining the approval of Damascus despite significant criticism.

According to a statement by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), its “cross-border operation remains a lifeline to people in northwest Syria. Each month, the UN and partners reach an average of 2.5 million people with critical assistance and protection services.”

The Assad regime initially gave its permission to the UN to dispatch aid via two crossings on the Turkish-Syrian border after the devastating earthquakes in north-West Syria and south-eastern Turkiye.

This is the third time the approval has been extended, with the deadline being 13 February 2024. Human rights activists have criticised the UN’s willingness to approach the Syrian regime for ‘permission’ to transport much-needed humanitarian aid to north-west Syria, both because it serves to legitimise the regime and because those areas and crossings are under the control of opposition groups.

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