UN Secretary General: Humanitarian aid still not accessible to civilians in Syria

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In a report on Wednesday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there has been no improvement in the access of foreign aid for millions of desperate Syrians, thereby violating a resolution passed in the Security Council two months ago. In the resolution, the first such humanitarian resolution on the Syrian civil war, the Security Council demanded that the armed opposition and the government allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians.

Over 3.5 million civilians in Syria do not have access to essentials services, goods and life-saving medicine, a “clear violation” of international law, the UN chief wrote. The report blamed both parties, but singled out the Syrian government for particular censure. “The security situation is deteriorating and humanitarian access to those most in need is not improving. It remains an extremely challenging environment in which to work”, the document said. Ban also described the situation, with thousands unable to access proper medical care, as “arbitrary and unjustified” and “a clear violation of international humanitarian law”. “I must again urge the parties, and in particular the government… to honour their obligations under international humanitarian law and act now”, the report read.

Government forces and rebels are yet to lift sieges of heavily populated areas, which Ban said was “shameful, that nearly a quarter of a million people are being deliberately forced to live under such conditions”. He would go on to call on the opposition and the government to facilitate the access of aid and combat and border line crossings. “People are dying needlessly every day”, the report added.

Last month, western ambassadors reported that the Syrian government had allowed aid convoys to pass through only one out of the eight border crossings the UN had identified as a priority. On Wednesday, several UN agencies called on both parties to allow the delivery of aid in the entire country, end siege warfare and stop their haphazard attacks on civilians.