UN offers humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas in Syria

World Today

UN offers humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas in Syria

Syrians in rebel-held areas will soon be getting humanitarian aid as a result of action taken by the UN Security Council. Members voted unanimously to approve the cross-border deliveries, whether Syria approves them or not. Alaa Ebrahim reports.

UN offers humanitarian aid to rebel-held areas in Syria

Syrians in rebel-held areas will soon be getting humanitarian aid as a result of action taken by the UN Security Council. Members voted unanimously to approve the cross-border deliveries, whether Syria approves them or not. Alaa Ebrahim reports.

The latest batch of UN humanitarian aid has gone into the rebel-held area of Modamia, near the Syria capital. A thousand packages of monthly rations will reach just about 10 percent living in the city — about 31,000 people. The hope is that the aid doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.

A recent deal between the Syrian government and the insurgents controlling the city allowed the flow of goods in. Even so, another problem arose when UN teams in Syria coordinated with the gunmen, directly bypassing the Syrian government. This led to the government clamping down on entry of aid into the city.

Tuesday’s shipment came after communications between government and UN officials. The UN must deal with constantly shifting rules on the Syrian battlefield.

Another patch of humanitarian aid enters the city of Modamia west of Damascus as the UN Security Council discusses prospects of a new resolution to set the terms for entering humanitarian aid into Syria. Whether the Syrian government be the sole coordination party with the UN remains to be seen.