Red Cross Says Needs More Resources To Address Plight Of Syria's Al-Hawl Refugee Camp

(@FahadShabbir)

Red Cross Says Needs More Resources to Address Plight of Syria's Al-Hawl Refugee Camp

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) needs more resources and access to help people in Syria's Al-Hawl refugee camp, with the scale of required assistance growing daily, the new head of the ICRC regional delegation for Russia, Belarus and Moldova told Sputnik in an interview

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2019) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) needs more resources and access to help people in Syria's Al-Hawl refugee camp, with the scale of required assistance growing daily, the new head of the ICRC regional delegation for Russia, Belarus and Moldova told Sputnik in an interview.

According to Ikhtiyar Aslanov, the ICRC has certain access to the Al-Hawl camp, located near the border with Iraq and controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. In particular, the committee builds additional shelters there and facilitates delivery of water. In May, Aslanov says, the committee also opened a field hospital there in cooperation with the Norwegian Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The Red Cross has also organized a communal kitchen in the camp.

"The needs are not covered all, they are far from being covered, needs are shifting and increasing day by day. So definitely we are asking for more access, for more resources to be able to deliver at least these services," Aslanov said.

As for the Rukban camp - located in the US-controlled zone around its military base at At-Tanf, which makes it hard for humanitarian workers to access the area - the Red Cross is "trying to monitor what the humanitarian situation" there, according to Aslanov.

"We definitely ... welcome any initiative from any side that can positively solve this situation of the Rukban camp," he added.

Both the Al-Hawl and Rukban camps have been in the international spotlight over the past few months, as they have significantly gone over their capacity amid the escalation of the situation in Syria. Russia has repeatedly raised alarm over the plight of their inhabitants. In particular, the Russian reconciliation center and the Syrian government have been assisting those wishing to leave the Rukban camp, with over 17,000 civilians already evacuated as a result of this assistance.

Finally, the ICRC regional head addressed the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone, which remains the last terrorist stronghold in Syria but is also home to more than 2.5 million people.

Aslanov, in particular, noted that the Red Cross urged the "fighting parties to respect the principle of distinction, proportionality and precaution" and avoid targeting critical infrastructure.