Syria: Distribution of humanitarian aid is extremely difficult

Through a report presented today at the Security Council, Ban called on the Syrian government and the opposition to take a series of measures to facilitate the distribution of relief items, especially drugs, for the 9.3 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance. "The assistance that reaches the population remains too small to be able to meet their basic needs" the report noted. It's expected to be addressed by the Security Council on Friday.

Meanwhile, in his report Ban "condemns the use of sieges as a war tactic and calls on all sides to allow direct entry assistance to besieged areas. He also asks from all sides to allow the citizens to leave, if they want to. This report estimates that 3.5 million people are now stuck in besieged areas or in areas with difficult access, number which is one million more than at the beginning of the year.

Ban stresses also that local ceasefires agreements in some areas "are undermined by the lack of a third neutral side, which will oversee the implementation and the lack of trust between the government, the opposition and the local communities". According to the report, approximately 220,000 people remain excluded in Homs, Nubl and Zahra, also in many areas of eastern Ghouta, while 175,000 of them are besieged by government troops and 45,000 from opposition groups. The UN has recorded 258 locations in Syria where an improved humanitarian access would be beneficial.

No new ceasefire agreement was reached between the government and rebels in besieged areas between 22 February and 21 March and only "limited help" managed to reach some of the remote areas highlighted in the report. This report was written after the unanimous adoption of the decision 2139 on 22 of February, by which the Security Council called for, inter alia, the lifting of the blockade on many Syrian cities and termination of throwing "barrels with explosives" against civilians by the Syrian Air Force. The decision does not provide for the imposition of automatic sanctions, if the terms aren't respected, but leaves open the possibility of the Council to act later on the basis of the report of Ban. But for this, a new decision is needed.