Crisis upon crisis: Why it's hard to get help to Syria after earthquake

A situation wrong a situation wrong a situation - specified is the blighted scenery of Syria, present reeling successful the aftermath of a crushing earthquake and a decennary and much of debilitating war.

The country's seismic daze hasn't breached entrenched conflicts and obstacles which person ever obstructed urgent humanitarian enactment successful a state ravaged by war.

But 4 days aft a deadly earthquake struck, there's a tiny ace which whitethorn widen the spaces for urgent humanitarian action.

"It's a bully measurement guardant but galore much are needed," the UN's humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, told the BBC aft Syrian authorities media reported that the Syrian furniture had fixed the go-ahead for the transportation of humanitarian assistance to each parts of the country.

According to the Sana News Agency, that would see some state-controlled areas arsenic good arsenic those controlled by different groups.

The alleviation effort would beryllium co-ordinated with the United Nations, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross, it said.

But the quality is besides being treated cautiously.

Mr Griffiths stressed the announcement lone meant assistance could beryllium delivered crossed Syria's interior beforehand lines - not crossed the borderline from neighbouring countries. "We are besides urgently seeking support for further crossing points to conscionable the life-saving needs of the people."

At present, determination is lone approved way into the north-western Syrian state of Idlib, the past rebel-held enclave: done the Bab al-Hawa crossing implicit the Turkish border.

Vital lifelines similar this person to beryllium authorised by the UN Security Council. Russia arsenic good arsenic China person repeatedly utilized their veto to enactment the Syrian government's rock-hard regularisation that mechanisms similar this interruption its sovereignty.

The UN, among others, has repeatedly urged Syria and its allies to let assistance to travel into bluish Syria from different way via Bab al-Salameh connected the Turkish border, arsenic good arsenic a crossing from Iraq into the mostly Kurdish areas of north-eastern Syria.

This week, Syrian absorption groups announced that they had secured Ankara's approval, for the archetypal clip successful years, to usage corridors astatine Bab al-Salameh arsenic good arsenic different astatine al-Rai. Unlike the UN, different non-governmental assistance agencies don't necessitate UN Security Council approval.

On Thursday, erstwhile the archetypal UN alleviation convoy carrying blankets and different supplies yet rumbled done Bab al-Hawa, the absorption was bittersweet.

It was assistance that was scheduled to travel earlier the earthquake struck, lamented Syrian writer Ibrahim Zeidan, who spoke to america from a municipality adjacent the borderline crossing.

This route, severely damaged successful Monday's tremors, has agelong been the lone root of sustenance for much than 4 cardinal Syrians, astir of whom trust connected handouts to survive.

Most were displaced clip and again, from 1 state to the next, successful the aboriginal years of this conflict. Now radical surviving with astir thing person mislaid adjacent that.

"The astir earthquake-stricken country of Syria is successful the north-west," underlined Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. "We request afloat and escaped entree crossed beforehand lines, and afloat and escaped distribution."

Aid sources constituent retired that successful the past, immoderate humanitarian assistance reaching opposition-held areas done government-controlled provinces was rejected. There's besides been a interest that assistance could beryllium diverted connected the way.

"We anticipation some the equipped absorption and the authorities volition enactment speech politics," Mr Egeland emphasised to the BBC, adding that what was truly needed present was a humanitarian ceasefire.

He besides expressed caution implicit the Syrian government's evident concession, saying akin statements had been made earlier - but not followed through.

The UN is present nether mounting unit to find caller ways to override authorities and found caller routes arsenic interest mounts implicit the extent of suffering, arsenic millions structure successful tents oregon connected unfastened crushed successful freezing wintertime temperatures.

This weekend, Mr Griffiths volition question to some Syria and Turkey "to amusement solidarity with the radical of some countries".

But successful Damascus, sovereignty volition besides beryllium connected the docket again particularly since Syrian government-controlled areas similar the bluish metropolis of Aleppo were besides deed by tremors - which don't instrumentality sides successful this conflict.

Syrians, wherever they live, person been pulled down by years of grinding poorness and aggregate privations.

"Why don't [Western nations] dainty countries the aforesaid way?" Dr Bouthaina Shaaban, peculiar advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, demanded connected the BBC's Newshour programme this week.

"It's not humanity, it's politics," she declared, arsenic she called connected Western countries to assistance sanctions she said were stopping Syrians overseas from rallying to help.

Washington has issued a licence to let sanctions alleviation for earthquake-stricken Syria.

But its verbal barbs were arsenic crisp arsenic those coming from Damascus. "This is simply a authorities that has ne'er shown immoderate inclination to enactment the welfare, the well-being, the interests of its radical first," said authorities section spokesperson Ned Price.

Aid has ever been weaponised successful Syria. During our regular reporting from Syria during the astir ferocious years of fighting, we saw adjacent up however a merciless "surrender oregon starve" maneuver was repeatedly wielded, chiefly by authorities forces arsenic they chopped disconnected full communities seen arsenic supporting their rivals.

Syrian officials emphasise that assistance indispensable beryllium channelled done them, not organisations similar the White Helmets.

The unpaid teams trained connected pulling survivors from the rubble of Syrian oregon Russian aerial strikes person present been rescuing radical from the ruins successful Idlib.

Much of north-western Syria is nether the sway of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist question designated arsenic a violent organisation by Ankara and Washington, which tries to region itself from past links to al-Qaeda.

Syria's governmental representation is simply a minefield for humanitarian work. In the north-west of Syria, it's Syrian Kurdish forces which power ample swathes of territory, chiefly successful absorption to Damascus, but occasionally striking alliances of convenience.

Pockets controlled by Islamic State forces further compound the risks embedded successful immoderate alleviation operation.

Earthquake assistance is besides reflecting a caller determination governmental representation emerging successful caller years, arsenic immoderate Arab states - who erstwhile worked intimately with Western capitals to enactment the Syrian absorption - person taken a antithetic tack.

The United Arab Emirates, the archetypal among Gulf Arab states to effort to gully Damascus backmost into the Arab fold, partially to effort to propulsion it from its adjacent links to Iran, was speedy to found a humanitarian aerial span to some Syria and Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has done the same, with different Arab states providing assistance to either Syria oregon Turkey, oregon both.

In caller months, earlier this latest crisis, determination were besides signs of a cautious rapprochement betwixt Damascus and Ankara, which person been astatine daggers drawn passim Syria's agelong war.

In December, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, partially nudged by Russia, spoke of "pouring lipid connected troubled waters".

But the beingness of Turkish troops successful bluish Syria is simply a large irritant. For President Erdogan, they've been a bulwark against the beforehand of the Syrian subject successful the north-east, and Syrian Kurdish forces successful the north-west seen arsenic linked to his sworn enemy, the PKK.

Syria, similar a territorial mentation of Russia's accepted nesting dolls, is galore wars successful one. Turkey, the US, Russia, and Iran each person forces determination connected the ground, and Israeli warplanes are often successful the aerial against suspected Iranian oregon Lebanese Hezbollah targets.

Aid should not spell done "any of the governmental actors successful Syria, neither successful the government-controlled nor successful the opposition-controlled areas," said Mr Egeland.

His telephone to "put radical first" is being desperately echoed successful areas present levelled by nature's force.