CAFOD urges: 'No further delays for aid in Syria'

Syrian refugee camp in Jordan

As the second round of Geneva peace talks gets underway, CAFOD says there must be no delays and no restrictions on allowing aid to reach people in need across Syria.

Anne Street, CAFOD’s Head of Humanitarian Policy, said: “It’s essential that we see immediate progress on allowing live-saving provisions – like food, water, blankets and medicine – to reach those most in need throughout Syria. We welcome the fact that the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent have been able to evacuate some civilians from Homs, but there needs to be the political will to encourage and agree local ceasefires all across the country.

“It’s also crucial that there are no restrictions whatsoever on allowing civilians to leave besieged areas. We’re concerned that if only women and children are allowed to leave, many men who are playing no part in the conflict will be in a vulnerable position. Not allowing men to leave war-zones has resonances of what happened in Srebrenica in 1995, when 8,000 people – mostly men and boys – were massacred.

“The Syrian government and armed opposition groups are all obliged, under international humanitarian law, to allow safe passage of relief convoys and humanitarian personnel in areas under their control. There can be no further delays in recognising these obligations.”

For several months, it has been virtually impossible for aid agencies to deliver aid in some of the worst-hit parts of Syria. According to the latest United Nations figures, more than three million people are living in areas that are hard to reach, including 242,000 who are trapped in areas besieged by either the Syrian government or opposition forces.

There has been intense fighting across Syria since the beginning of the year, and around 4,000 people are crossing into neighbouring countries as refugees every day.

Anne said: “The first round of talks at the Geneva conference paved the way for the evacuations in Homs. We welcome the fact that dialogue is continuing. For the sake of the Syrian people, we need to see a great deal more progress this time round. We know that the only lasting solution to this conflict will be through diplomacy, so – above all – it’s vital that all sides keep talking.”

CAFOD’s Church partners are continuing to provide food, water, shelter, blankets and medical supplies to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, as well as counselling and education for vulnerable children. They are also providing food and shelter within Syria itself. CAFOD’s Syria Crisis appeal has raised more than £2.4 million.