UK sceptical about Assad regime's Bab al-Hawa aid deal with UN

The United Kingdom has expressed concerns over whether an agreement to extend a UN mandate to allow much-needed humanitarian aid to enter northwestern Syria will be upheld by the Syrian regime.

A deal reached earlier this week by Damascus and the UN would allow cross-border aid to restart following a suspension in July, when Russia vetoed a 12-month extension of the use of the Bab al-Hawa crossing.

Permission to deliver aid was extended until 13 November.

In addition to the resumption of aid through Bab al-Hawa, the UN also secured a three-month extension through the Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra'ee border crossings, both of which were opened to allow aid in soon after the devastating 6 February Turkey-Syria earthquake.

Cross-frontline aid in Sarmada and Saraqib was also extended for six months.

"Since Russia’s veto in July, not a single truck of aid has entered north-west Syria through Bab al-Hawa," UK Permanent Representative to the UN Barbara Woodward said in a statement obtained by The New Arab.

Like several other international and Syrian NGOs, Woodward raised concerns about the regime’s intentions to keep the crossing open, fearing an arbitrary closure.

"President Assad’s announcement that he will keep Bab al-Hawa open for another six months means aid might start trickling in, but neither the UN aid operation and NGOs – nor the Syrian people – can rely on the whim of one man who could change his mind tomorrow," she said.

The ambassador revealed that the UK has "been working closely with the UN and NGOs to restore full aid access."

"The UN Secretary-General and aid workers have been clear the border should be opened for at least 12 months without arbitrary restrictions," she said.

"Since 2014, the Security Council mandate guaranteed aid access and gold standard monitoring at Bab al-Hawa to ensure aid was not misused. We’re coordinating with partners and plan to bring this back to the Council this month," Woodword said in the statement, adding that the current situation leaves 4.1 million Syrians far too vulnerable.

"Assad, his regime, and its supporters likely view recent political shifts pertaining to Damascus's legitimacy – notably Turkish negotiations and Arab re-normalisation efforts – as presenting the opportune time to press for more leverage." https://t.co/OfBkpvnMyB

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) July 29, 2023

Aid agencies, including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), had aired similar concerns following the deal this week, saying they were worried the removal of security provided by the Security Council authorisation will impact the ability of humanitarian organisations in northwest Syria to operate effectively.

One of the conditions placed by the regime include requiring the UN not to "communicate with entities designated as terrorist."

The region to which aid is flowing is outside of regime control, falling largely under the rule of Turkish-backed rebel groups and other factions. Bashar al-Assad’s regime has labelled these groups as terrorist since the start of the conflict, which began in 2011 when his forces violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations.

The regime also views the White Helmets, a Syrian civil defence humanitarian group operating in rebel-held areas, as a terrorist group.

Mazen Alloush, spokesperson for the Bab al-Hawa crossing, had said the case surrounding humanitarian aid flow through the border point should not be politicised.

Speaking to The New Arab’s sister site, Alloush called on the international community "to lift the hands of the Russian occupation and the criminal regime from deciding the fate of the Syrian people and controlling their livelihoods."

He said there was an urgent need to provide "full access to humanitarian aid without restrictions, conditions or extortion."

Huda Atassi, co-founder of the charity International Humanitarian Relief, said the regime’s approval to reopen the crossing was an "absurd act," deploring the UN’s alignment with the decision.

"The regime does not have any authority over the three crossings, so the decision of whether or not to agree on aid entering is absurd and has no value for us as organisations working in humanitarian affairs," she told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

"The regime is still manipulating the aid that enters through these channels, and we refused to deal with it [the regime] because of this," she said, adding that the Syrian regime mishandles aid, as previously seen in areas of its control such as Daraa, Homs and the Damascus countryside.