Earthquake: an aid convoy of the Kurdish Red Crescent blocked

The Italian NGO Un Ponte Per, which has been active in the northeast area of Syria for years, has just learned that the Kurdish Red Crescents (KRC) aid convoy which was traveling from the Northeast of Syria to Aleppo, it was also meant to reach the surrounding villages most affected by the earthquake, was blocked in the late afternoon of February 11, 2023, by government forces. The Damascus Government demands that the Red Crescent surrenders the supplies to be allowed to pass the checkpoint, despite the fact that health workers have clarified that they intend to also deliver the aid to the areas controlled by the regime. Government forces have declared that will make the same request – of half the supplies of the deliveries – to all local and international NGOs that want to bring aid to the Northwest. This is an absolutely unacceptable level of political exploitation of aid, which, among other things, opens the door to corruption and doesn’t allow humanitarian workers to provide the best level of aid, while being accountable to donors. This convoy of the Kurdish Red Crescent consists of three trucks carrying tents, mattresses, blankets, heating materials and medicines, along with two ambulances and two cars with health workers and technicians. It is not the first convoy sent by the Red Crescent to Aleppo in recent days but it was bringing a more significant load of aid, as it was supported by fundraising campaigns such as the one activated in Italy by Un Ponte Per. We demand an immediate intervention by the Italian and European diplomatic authorities with the government of Damascus to allow the convoy to access Aleppo and to avoid that similar incidents are repeated in the following days with other NGOs. Humanitarian aid cannot be stopped for political reasons.