UN, Syria Strike Agreement to Reopen Key Humanitarian Crossing
The UN reached an agreement with Syria on Tuesday to reopen the Bab al-Hawa crossing through Turkey, ensuring the safe delivery of aid to the rebel-held Idlib region of Syria. The agreement also guarantees the safety of all UN humanitarian operations in the area.
Bab al-Hawa has been closed since mid-June after the UN Security Council failed to authorize its opening following ongoing disagreements between the UN and Syria over the terms of the crossing’s use.
The crossing allows for 85% of all deliveries to the Idlib region of Syria, which is home to 4.1 million people. Hundreds of thousands of residents of the war-torn area have been displaced from their homes and are reliant on UN aid.
On Tuesday, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq also announced that Syria had granted an extension in the use of two additional crossings, Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai, until November 13. These two crossings were originally opened by Syrian President Bashar Assad after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated the region last February.
According to Haq, the UN is eager to resume aid deliveries but it will take some time to restart the operations.
“I don’t expect anything to happen in the next few days,” he said.
