The largest UN humanitarian convoy dispatched in the Syrian civil war reached the remote settlement of Rukban on the border with Jordan on Wednesday. It delivered life-saving assistance to more than 40,000 displaced people after eight children, most of them under the age of one, had died due to extreme cold and lack of medical care. The majority of the inhabitants of the camp are women and children who have fled from Russian and United States-led airstrikes against areas held by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) in central and eastern Syria.
The convoy dispatched by the UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) consisted of 133 trucks, delivering food, health supplies, hygiene materials, education items and children’s recreational kits. In addition, vaccines for 10,000 children under the age of five have been sent. The goods were chosen based on a needs assessment carried out during the previous convoy, which reached the outpost in November 2018.
In his statement released on Wednesday, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. Sajjad Malik stated that, “While this delivery of assistance will provide much-needed support, it is only a temporary measure. A long-term, safe, voluntary and dignified solution for tens of thousands of people, many of whom have been staying at the Rukban settlement for more than two years in desperate conditions, is urgently needed.” The UN and SARC will continue to consult the inhabitants of the camp to assess their wishes and priorities. In their statement, the UN further underlined that it urges all parties to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need in Syria under international humanitarian law.
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