DAMASCUS: A new humanitarian aid convoy arrived in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province on Monday, state media reported, as the United Nations raised alarms over the worsening crisis in the region.
The delivery comes after weeks of deadly violence that displaced thousands and left critical shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
State television broadcast footage of trucks entering the province, marking the third such convoy since clashes erupted earlier this month.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent coordinated the effort, which included 27 trucks carrying 200 tonnes of flour, 2,000 shelter kits, and 1,000 food baskets, according to state news agency SANA.
The supplies were provided through cooperation between international organisations, the Syrian government, and local groups.
Despite a ceasefire, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that Sweida’s situation remains dire.
“Humanitarian access... remains constrained, hampering the ability of humanitarians to assess need thoroughly and to provide critical life-saving assistance on a large scale,“ OCHA said in a statement.
The violence has displaced at least 176,000 people, with reports of power outages and severe shortages of essentials.
Local media outlet Suwayda 24 described conditions as “dire,“ calling for more aid convoys to address the escalating crisis.
On Sunday, civil groups warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe,“ accusing authorities of imposing a suffocating siege that has blocked basic supplies.
While Sweida’s governor claimed aid was entering normally, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that government-affiliated armed groups were obstructing traffic on the Sweida-Damascus highway, preventing goods from reaching affected areas. – AFP
