March 11 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called for “renewed energy” for humanitarian aid in Syria twelve years after the start of the conflict and the country is facing a new tragedy, such as the earthquake that shook the area. in February.
“March 11 marks the twelve years of crushing conflict, systematic atrocities, and unimaginable human suffering in Syria,” the secretary lamented in a statement.
He has assured that the new needs of the Syrians, especially in the northwest region, the most affected by the earthquake, require a commitment to “ensure a ceasefire throughout the nation”, and has asked the international community “to act united to advance the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and create the necessary conditions for the voluntary return of refugees in safety and dignity”.
“Efforts provided in the aftermath of the earthquakes must be redirected to renewed energies in the political arena, to respond to the fundamental issues that underpin the conflict in Syria,” Guterres said.
The Secretary General’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, has detailed that since the beginning of the emergency response after the earthquake, more than 280,000 people in Syria have received protection, and more than 185,000 people have had access to humanitarian aid items.
It has also detailed that the number of trucks with humanitarian aid material that they have been able to transport to Syria by crossing Turkey represents, one month after the earthquake, double daily that they were able to provide last year.