Syria extends humanitarian aid access via two border crossings: UN

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The Syrian Arab Republic has agreed to extend humanitarian aid access to areas under the control of militants, which were affected by the earthquake that struck the country in February, a United Nations representative said on Saturday.

The Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, informed, Eri Kenko, the spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, that the country will "allow the UN to continue using the Al Ra'ee and Bab Al-Salam crossing for an additional three months."

On February 6, a massive earthquake hit the country leading to more than 55,000 deaths in Syria and Turkey. The border crossings mentioned are located on the Syrian-Turkish border and the decision to extend the window for delivery of humanitarian aid allows for the flow of essential goods to the residents of militant-held areas.

Damascus allowed the UN to use the Bab Al-Salameh and Al-Ra'ee crossings after days after the earthquake. However, the living conditions in Syria were deeply aggravated after around 12 years of Western-backed war on the country, and sanctions took their toll on Syrian infrastructures, including medical care systems. 

The window agreed to by the Syrian government is set to expire on May 13, and the decision to extend it highlights the goodwill of the Syrian leadership even after reports by the Syrian Red Crescent showing that military groups in Idlib are preventing relief aid convoys from entering the area.

"Despite the repeated attempts and the long-time waiting (12 days now) of the aid convoys on two crossing points, the convoys haven't been approved to pass through the cross-lines by the controlling parties," the Syrian Red Crescent said in March.

The UN estimated earlier this week that Syria needs around $15 billion to recover from the effects of the earthquake, while it estimated direct losses from the disaster at $9 billion.