Syrians suffer as UN call for aid access ignored

In rebel-held parts of southern Damascus, activists say the streets arefilled with "ghosts" -- Syrians wandering and begging, desperate for food andmedicine that is nowhere to be found.In February, the UN Security Council urged the government and opposition to allowaid to be delivered freely, but civilians, activists and aid workers say little haschanged.They lay much of the blame on Syria's government, for preventing UN aid deliveriesthrough rebel-held border crossings and laying siege to opposition areas."The Syrian government has essentially been using a type of blackmail to not allowUN agencies to be providing the type of assistance that's really needed inopposition-held territory," said Lama Fakih, a researcher with Human Rights Watch.UN agencies can operate only with government permission and know they couldlose access to government-held areas if they work on the opposition side withoutregime consent, she said.UN resolution 2139, passed with support from Syrian government allies Russia andChina, demands that "all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, promptly allow rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for UN humanitarian agencies andtheir implementing partners." It urges access "across conflict lines and across borders, in order to ensure thathumanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most direct routes."Since the resolution passed, the UN has delivered aid to a rebel-held area in Aleppocity, but was forced to use a perilous path from Damascus rather than a nearbyrebel-held border crossing with Turkey.The government also allowed the UN to deliver aid through a different bordercrossing with Turkey that remains under regime control, with aid going to a citywhere regime forces maintain a presence. - Knock-on effects -Aid workers say the government's restrictions on the UN have had a knock-on effectacross the entire humanitarian response effort."It's not just the fact that the UN can't do cross-border convoys directly toopposition-held areas, it's that all of these other parts of the machinery are not ableto function as they should," said one aid worker involved in the Syria response."There have been endemic issues with coordination and the UN isn't fundingagencies that are doing cross-border activity," she said.The UN has also been unable to assume its usual role advocating with both sides foraccess, she added."The response is bifurcated between what happens from Damascus and whathappens from neighbouring countries."There has also been little relief for the 242,000 Syrians who the UN estimates areunder regime or rebel siege, around 197,000 of them trapped by government forces.In the Palestinian Yarmuk camp in southern Damascus, more than 100 people arereported to have died because of food and medical shortages.The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA makes sporadic aid deliveries whenit gains government permission, but in the past month went two weeks withoutaccess."From the perspective of an aid organisation trying to work in Yarmuk, it is clearthat resolution 2139 is not being implemented," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunnesstold AFP.-- 'People dying needlessly' --In a progress report on Wednesday, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said "none of the partiesto the conflict have adhered to the demands of the (Security) Council.""People are dying needlessly every day," he said.The resolution authorises the Security Council to take "further steps," like sanctions,in case of non-compliance, but it requires a new resolution, which Russia and Chinaare unlikely to approve.That leaves international and Syrian aid groups on the ground struggling to meet needs as best they can.In southern Damascus, one activist described beggars as "ghosts" wandering thestreets, their faces black with dirt because there is no running water."When there's a food distribution, people are so hungry they can't wait to get hometo eat it," Mohammed told AFP over the Internet."You see grown men standing by the distribution lines and eating right there, onthe street."In southern Daraa province, another activist said local aid is dwindling as needsmultiply in the fourth year of the conflict."At the start of the revolution, you had many people who had enough savings tohelp others. Now, it is no longer the case, especially as the Syrian lira is collapsing,"Abu Anas said.In some rebel-held areas, weary residents and fighters have agreed to truces in a bidto win access to food and medicine, which activists say is evidence that the regimeuses aid as a weapon."The regime uses the humanitarian situation as a card to pressure people intosubmission," said Mohammed, the activist in Damascus. "People say to the armed opposition: 'What can you do for us? Can you bring usfood?'"