Brussels, 12/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 12 January, the European Commission confirmed that an initial convoy of emergency humanitarian aid, destined mainly for Madaya and co-financed by the EU, had arrived safely in Syria during the evening of Monday 11 January. The Commission also confirmed that the aid was being distributed to the starving people in the besieged town of Madaya.
The convoy, comprising 49 lorries from the United Nations, International Committee for the Red Cross, Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency), set off on Monday morning. It will deliver food, medical equipment and blankets to around 40,000 people in Madaya who are in urgent need of help and to around 20,000 people in the towns of Foah and Kefraya, which are also being besieged.
Humanitarian teams, which are partners of ECHO (the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department) on the ground, have already started to assess the needs and distribute aid, the Commission says in a press release.
“The EU is helping provide emergency humanitarian support to reach the many people suffering from this intolerable situation. We must prevent starvation and more suffering”, said European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. He repeated the call that the EU had launched two years earlier to ensure unconditional humanitarian access, in line with the requirements of international humanitarian law (see EUROPE 11464).
The World Food Programme (WFP) tweeted its gratitude to the donors on Monday evening. “Helping Syrians in and outside of the country is vital to avoiding a lost generation. Thanks to donors such as the EU”, it said.
The EU and its member states are the leading donors of humanitarian aid for the Syrian crisis. They have already mobilised over €4.4 billion in emergency aid, development aid and assistance for stabilisation in Syria and its neighbouring countries (which are hosting 4.29 million Syrian refugees). A conference will be organised in London at the beginning of February, on the initiative of the UK, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the UN, in order to raise fresh funds. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)