Caabu has joined a coalition of 57 Syrian, regional and international NGOs welcoming efforts to relieve the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Syrians living in besieged areas even with airdrops. However, Caabu calls on maximum effort to our pressure on the Syrian government and other fighting parties to lift the siege and grant unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies to deliver aid as required by UN Security Council 2258.
Commenting on this, Caabu Director Chris Doyle said: “Air drops are the option of last resort - a high-risk, dangerous and inefficient delivery system for aid. The international community must not stop from pushing for lifting of these barbaric sieges and proper access on the ground. As it stands, this is an admission of total failure to compel the parties to this conflict to honor their legal and humanitarian obligations. Much more must be done to challenge the status quo.”
Air drops call is welcome, sieges must end now
As humanitarian and human rights organisations working to alleviate the plight of civilians affected by the crisis in Syria, we welcome efforts by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to pressure the Syrian government and non-state armed actors to lift the sieges across the country and ensure that civilians have unhindered access to humanitarian aid.
The ISSG's call for the UN World Food Program to carry out a program of air drops and air bridges for all besieged areas – should humanitarian access continue to be denied from June 1st – is a step that could help alleviate hunger and human suffering. However, airdrops are complicated, inefficient, limited in their scope, and risk the diversion of aid. It is unconscionable that the warring parties’ continued refusal to allow aid to suffering civilians has necessitated using an option of last resort.
By some estimates, more than one million Syrians are affected by sieges across Syria. The ISSG’s priority should be to end all sieges and ensure full, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access across all priority sectors throughout the country, while ensuring that aid is not used as a bargaining chip for political negotiations.
As co-leads of the ISSG, Russia and the US must pursue all channels so that humanitarian access unconditionally reaches all people in need. If access is not granted by the government and other parties to the conflict, they must ensure that the best conditions possible are put in place for air drops and air bridges to take place so that aid gets to those who need it most.
Although air drops can provide some urgent short term relief, they cannot meet the needs of the Syrian people long term and they must not be a distraction from efforts to gain full and sustained access and the lifting of sieges. One-off deliveries by land or air are insufficient and unacceptable. The international community should settle for nothing less than sufficient and unfettered humanitarian access across all sectors throughout the country.
Now is the time for the ISSG to show the strength of its resolve. The lifting of the sieges is a test of the ISSG members’ commitment to save civilians from slow death and starvation. The ISSG members should no longer tolerate the war crimes that are taking place before their eyes. We call on them to redouble their efforts to bring their collective and bilateral influence to bear on the warring parties to ensure full, sustained and unimpeded access to populations in need.
Signed:
11.11.11
ABAAD-Resource Center for Gender Equality (ABAAD Lebanon)
Al Kawakibi Organisation for Human Rights
Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies
Arab Coalition for Sudan
Association de Soutien aux Médias Libres (ASML)
Basmeh and Zeitooneh
Baytna Syria
BINAA
Blue Nile for Human Rights and Peace
Bridge of Peace US
Broederlijk Delen
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
Coucil for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU)
CCFD-Terre Solidaire
Children Plus
Civil Society Initiative Sudan
Emissa
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Hand in Hand For Syria
Help 4 Syria UK
Hivos
Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHASM” /Palestine
Human Rights First Society Saudi Arabia
Independent Doctors Association
Islamic Relief USA
Just Foreign Policy
Justice Africa Sudan
Karam Foundation
Local Development and Small Projects Support office
Maram Foundation
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
medico international
Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
No Peace Without Justice
Nonviolence International
Open Doors International
PAX
Pax Christi Flander
Refugees International
Relief & Reconciliation for Syria
Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS)
SHAML Coalition
Souria Houria
STAND (Student-Led Movement to End Mass Atrocities)
Syria Charity
Syria Relief
Syria Relief and Development
Syrian Network for Human Rights
The Day After Association (TDA)
The Syria Campaign (TSC)
The Violation Documentation Center in Syria (VDC)
Vision GRAM -International
War Child UK
Win Without War
Women Now For Development
