<
https://theconversation.com/as-syrians-were-trapped-beneath-the-rubble-a-broken-un-system-was-held-hostage-by-the-assad-regime-199778>
"While international teams poured into Turkey to mount a furious search and
rescue effort following the massive earthquake on February 6, the response on
the other side of the border in Syria was catastrophically slow.
For days, Syrians remained stuck under the rubble in sub-zero temperatures
waiting for help. However, the only vehicles that crossed the border from
Turkey were trucks ferrying the bodies of the dead home for burial.
When the United Nations finally delivered aid to rebel-controlled northwest
Syria four days after the quake, incredulous rescuers lamented that it appeared
to have been packed for delivery before the earthquake. It contained less
critically-needed supplies like nappies, instead of heavy machinery or disaster
response supplies.
It took a full week for the Syrian government, which frequently blocks aid
delivery to its opponents, to finally agree to open two additional border
crossings from Turkey to allow more aid into northwestern Syria. But for many,
this would come too late.
In the end, politics stood in the way of a humanitarian response that could
have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. The disaster unfolding before
our eyes is almost entirely man-made."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
