Current:Home > InvestSyria’s government extends permission for UN to bring aid through border crossing with Turkey -ChatGPT
Syria’s government extends permission for UN to bring aid through border crossing with Turkey
View
Date:2025-04-27 16:27:55
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s government is giving the United Nations permission for another six months to use a major border crossing with Turkey to bring aid into the country’s rebel-held northwest.
Syria’s mission to the U.N. said in a statement late Thursday that the Bab al-Hawa crossing should be “effectively operationalized in a way that contributes to helping people in need in northwest Syria.” The statement said the period expires on July 13.
Rebel-held parts of northwest Syria are home to more than 4 million people, many of them displaced by the country’s conflict that broke out in March 2011. The conflict has killed half a million people and displaced half of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million.
The U.N. Security Council initially authorized aid deliveries in 2014 from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan through four crossing points into opposition-held areas in Syria. But over the years, Syria’s closest ally Russia, backed by China, has reduced the authorized crossings to just Bab al-Hawa — and the mandates from a year to six months.
After a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake ravaged northwestern Syria and southern Turkey in February, Syrian President Bashar Assad opened two additional crossing points from Turkey, at Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai, to increase the flow of assistance. The term for those expired on Aug. 13.
Living conditions in Syria are deteriorating, with more people in need especially during the harsh winter. Tens of thousands live in tent settlements in the northwestern province of Idlib.
Last month, the U.N. World Food Program said that in January it would end its main assistance program across Syria, where over 12 million people lack regular access to sufficient food.
The U.N. estimates that about 90% of the population lives in poverty. The Syrian pound’s value against the U.S. dollar has crashed over the years, affecting purchasing power.
veryGood! (24976)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Jan. 6 officers to campaign for Biden in battleground states
- Burger King week of deals begins Tuesday: Get discounts on burgers, chicken, more menu items
- What to know about airman Roger Fortson’s fatal shooting by a Florida sheriff’s deputy
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Federal investigation of former Ohio House speaker ends with no charges filed
- Oregon wineries and vineyards seek $100 million from PacifiCorp for wildfire smoke damage to grapes
- Ohio Billionaire Larry Connor Plans to Take Sub to Titanic Site After OceanGate Implosion
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Biden, Harris to launch Black voter outreach effort amid signs of diminished support
Ranking
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- 'When Calls the Heart' star Mamie Laverock placed on life support following 5-story fall
- What is the best sunscreen? Experts spill on mineral vs. chemical, SPF, and more
- Man discovers mastodon tusk while fossil hunting underwater off Florida coast
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- When Calls the Heart's Mamie Laverock on Life Support After Falling Off Five-Story Balcony
- The Best Bikini Trimmers for Easy Touch-Ups and Silky Smooth, Summer-Ready Skin
- Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz denied parole after 12th board appearance
Recommendation
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
Texas’ first-ever statewide flood plan estimates 5 million live or work in flood-prone areas
'General Hospital' star Johnny Wactor's ex tells killer 'you shot the wrong guy' in emotional video
Cross restored to Notre Dame cathedral more than 5 years after fire
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Jury in Trump’s hush money case to begin deliberations after hearing instructions from judge
Disaster declaration issued for April snowstorm that caused millions in damage in Maine
Shannen Doherty recalls how Michael Landon and 'Little House on the Prairie' shaped her: 'I adored him'