Western Sanctions Imposed on Syria Blamed for Hampering Earthquake Relief Efforts

Relief efforts have been hampered by Western sanctions, which have restricted the flow of essential goods and equipment into the country. Sanctions have also made it difficult for aid organizations to provide support, as they are often unable to transfer funds into the country.

"The sanctions have made it extremely difficult for us to respond to the needs of the people affected by this earthquake," said Abdul-Rahman Al-Masri, a representative of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. "We need medical supplies, tents, and food, but we are unable to get them into the country because of the restrictions imposed by the sanctions."

The sanctions, which were imposed by the United States, the European Union, and other Western countries, were intended to pressure the Syrian government. They have had a devastating impact on the Syrian people, who are already suffering from the effects of a decade-long civil war.

Humanitarian organizations have called for the lifting of sanctions, arguing that they are hindering efforts to provide essential aid to the Syrian people.

"The sanctions are having a catastrophic impact on the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide assistance to those in need," said Sarah Lee Whitson, Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch. "It's time for the international community to rethink its approach and lift these restrictions to allow aid to reach those who need it most."

The earthquake is a stark reminder of the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the need for the international community to find a solution that allows for effective aid delivery, even in the midst of political conflict.

Following the earthquake, Iran dispatched 6 planes carrying medical, food and sanitary aid to Syria, and has pledged to send more.

Even battered Libya, itself largely destroyed by another Western regime-change project, sent a plane with 40 tons of medical and humanitarian aid, as well as an ambulance, to Aleppo International Airport.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement, sent convoys of humanitarian aid to Syria. Lebanon’s army said it would send members of its Engineering Regiment to Syria, to contribute to the search and rescue operations.

Not everyone who offered their help to Syria is on Western sanctions list, of course. Algeria sent 115 tons of aid of food and medical supplies, tents and blankets, as well as 86 specialized civil protection personnel. The United Arab Emirates will apparently send $50 million to Syria for relief efforts, and Indian, Emirati and Jordanian planes carrying humanitarian and medical aid for Syrian victims arrived in the capital on Wednesday. Even New Zealand pledged to contribute NZ$500,000 “for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to meet humanitarian needs.”

Some 12 years into the West’s proxy war on Syria, the continued denial of the very basics of emergency humanitarian relief to Syrians outside “rebel-controlled” areas, shows how little the West’s claim to care for Syrians really matters. The lack of concern by the UN, WHO, and affiliated aid agencies for the Syrians of Aleppo, among other government-controlled areas, is not at all surprising, given these bodies over the years systematically downplayed terrorism against Syrian civilians.