Political Pawns in Syria

 The UN says the number of Syrians in need is higher now than at any point during the 11-year civil war, as the toxic mix of years of fighting, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have devastated the country's economy. The World Food Programme (WFP) says the cost of food has risen by 800% in just two years.

The closure of the last route from Turkey puts more than three million people at risk of starvation. The huge cross-border operation, which was set up in 2014, only exists because of a UN mandate which allows it to happen without the permission of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It was scheduled for renewal in a Security Council session. The UN administers aid transfers into the north-west of the country because it lies outside Syrian government control, in the hands of the jihadist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Turkish-backed rebel groups.

The Syrian regime has only facilitated a small amount of what is called "cross-line" aid. That means it crosses the front lines within a country, rather than going over international borders.

There were two votes. The first was drafted by Norway and Ireland. It would have seen a six-month extension, automatically renewed for a further six unless a member chose to end the agreement. But that was vetoed by Russia.

Russia put forward an alternative proposal, a six-month extension that would require active renewal in January 2023. The UK, US and France voted against it.

NGOs say the result is devastating.

Tamer Kirolos, Syria response director at Save the Children, has urged the Security Council to reconvene and reverse their decision.

"Make no mistake, the Council's failure to reauthorise this crossing risks the lives of hundreds of thousands of children - children who have known nothing but conflict and life in camps," he said.

And Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, chief executive of Mercy Corps, said that politics had trumped critical aid for vulnerable Syrians.

"Today the United Nations Security Council failed the people of north-west Syria. Millions of people are left in limbo, not knowing how they will receive life-saving aid as food prices increase, conflict continues and economic stagnation grinds on," she said.

Syria: Russian UN veto blocks aid deliveries to 3m people - BBC News