US, France help earthquake-affected Syrians via partners
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Both the US and France announced on Thursday that they would help Turkey and Syria recover from the devastating earthquake that rocked both countries on Feb. 6.
The US announced on Thursday an initial $85 million aid package, and grants a temporary relief of some Damascus-related sanctions.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the same day that France would transfer up to $12.8 million to different UN agencies and nongovernmental groups for humanitarian aid for Syria.
Both countries have sent delegations and rescue teams with the needed equipment to Turkey, while no rescue teams were sent to Syria and there is not planning to do so.
Both countries would provide assistance through their partners working on the ground in Syria, without dealing with the Syrian government and its president Bashar al-Assad whom they consider as the main reason for the 12-year war.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said that the funding would go to its partners on the ground “to deliver urgently needed aid for millions of people.”
The funding will include food, shelter, emergency health services, according to the USIAD.
Additionally, it will target safe drinking water and sanitation to prevent the outbreak of disease, USAID said in a statement.
“We call on the Assad regime to immediately allow aid in through all border crossings; allow the distribution of aid to all affected areas; and to let humanitarians access all people in Syria who are in need, without exception,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Thursday evening.
While the French aid will be divided into three categories. As €5 million will go to the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund, a multi-donor group established eight years ago following a UN Security Council resolution.
Other €5 million will be divided between several French aid groups working in emergency response in the sectors of health, shelter, water, hygiene, and food security.
Other €2 million will target food supplies.
At dawn on Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands and injuring much more. The earthquake also caused immense destruction of buildings, trapping thousands under the rubble.
Searches for victims and survivors under the rubble of the collapsed buildings continue but chances of finding survivors are dimming amid great difficulty, due to the freezing and rainy weather.