Kurdistan Region aid organization assists neglected north Syrian IDPs
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An official from the Kurdish-led Northern Syrian Self-Administration said that the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) was nearly alone in providing assistance to large numbers of displaced citizens being largely neglected by international aid organizations.
“Unfortunately, humanitarian aid has become a political auction, and despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, no international humanitarian organization has provided relief for them,” said Shekhmus Ahmed, the administration's Director of Displaced Persons Affairs, during an on-air interview with Kurdistan 24.
On Saturday, a Syrian Kurdish party criticized the recent decision by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to restrict the number of border crossings that can be used to bring aid to northeastern Syria, widely seen as an attempt by Russia to limit assistance to the area in support of Damascus.
Read More: Syrian Kurds criticize UN decision limiting humanitarian aid to Syria
“The United Nations has voted to limit the entry of humanitarian aid through the border crossings under the control of Turkey and the Syrian regime, clearly preventing delivery of aid to those in need,” Aldar Xelil, head of the Diplomatic Relations Office for the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), said in a public statement.
On Dec. 10, the BCF brought six convoys of aid to the Washokani camp, including 40 trailers filled with essential items to displaced families at the as the winter cold loomed.
Read More: Barzani Charity Foundation sends sixth caravan of aid to northern Syria
More than 1,000 displaced families live in the camp, located between the towns of Tal Tamr and Hasakah.
The Administration's displacement director continued, “The efforts of our people in southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan, whether in Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and all regions, are appreciated,” adding, “the Barzani Charity Foundation was the only one and the first to send several batches of aid, but the needs exceed even their potential.”
“The Kurdistan Region’s Doctors Federation visited camps in the area and to survey medical needs,” after which they sent batches of them, contributing to efforts to “push diseases away from children,” Ahmed added.
“We hope that this assistance will continue.”
On Tuesday, the BCF dispatched a second relief convoy displaced families in Rojava, a Kurdish term for the mostly-Kurdish inhabited parts of northern Syria. More than 1,000 displaced families live in the camp, located between the towns of Tal Tamr and Hasakah.
The families fled their areas of origin close to the Turkish-Syrian border after Ankara and militants it backs launched an assault into the areas to push the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from them. The attack killed hundreds and has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians.
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Turkey has also been accused of war crimes as the proxies it commands have committed extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing, and seizure of property. Local authorities also accuse them of using chemical weapons.
Editing by John J. Catherine