A new assistance convoy entered the province of Souweida, in southern Syria, according to official media, Monday, July 28, while the humanitarian situation is “Critical due to persistent instability and sporadic hostilities” According to the United Nations (UN). “Humanitarian access to Souweida remains extremely limited (…) which restricts the ability to assess needs and send vital aid ”estimated a UN report.
According to state television, this is the third convoy since the fighting on July 20. She broadcast images showing trucks bearing the Syrian Red Crescent-Red logo, entering the province. The official Syrian official news agency Sana specifies that 27 trucks transport in particular “200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits and 1,000 food baskets”sent jointly by “International organizations, the Syrian government and the local community”.
The mainly Druze province was the scene of a week of clashes between Druzes and Bedouins, before the fighting extended with the intervention of government forces and tribal fighters who came to lend a hand to the Bedouins. The clashes have left more than 1,400 dead, mainly Druzes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). The violence has moved 176,000 people, according to the UN, and led to water and electricity cuts.
A “stifling blockade imposed by the authorities”
A photographer from the France-Presse agency in the city of Souweida observed long queues in front of the rare bakeries still open. The local media Suwayda 24 reported that “The humanitarian needs in the province of Souweida are enormous and require much greater aid”. He published on Sunday a call from several local NGOs evoking a “Humanitarian disaster” in Souweida and claiming that the province was subject to a “Suffering blockade imposed by the authorities”.
Government troops are deployed in certain areas of the province, according to the OSDH, which indicates that the goods coming from outside no longer returned since the closure of the Souweida-Damas road, where armed groups posted nearby block traffic. But the governor of Souweida, Moustapha al-Bakkour, assured Sana on Sunday that “Convoists of humanitarian aid enter daily and normally in the province”.
