By Bethany Morley / GICJ
Background
On Monday the 6th of February 2023 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck, followed by a second magnitude 7.6 earthquake a few hours later, in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria. The death toll has thus far surpassed 21,000. The present immensity of the situation in Turkey and Syria needs urgent immediate assistance and the support of the international community without discrimination or politicisation and in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law.
However, there are notable disparities in the humanitarian aid being provided to Turkey and to Syria. Though areas of opposition-held northwest Syria make providing aid problematic, there is not nearly enough being done by the international community and international organisations to help victims and survivors of the earthquake in Syria. Resulting in a heightened number of deaths, thousands more internally displaced refugees and an obvious discrepancy in priorities.
Turkey
Thus far, in Turkey, at least 18,342 people have died, with more than 64,000 injured and this number is expected to keep rising in the coming days.
When the earthquake hit, thousands of buildings collapsed, including hospitals and schools. In the city of Gaziantep, temperatures reach a harrowing -7. Survivors are in desperate need of shelter from the freezing conditions.
The Turkish government and the international community have mobilized humanitarian aid to those in need within its jurisdiction. Turkey’s disaster management agency has reported that 110,000 rescue personnel and 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators would be taking part in the effort with the assistance in rescuing survivors and victims. Further, the foreign ministry has pledged that 95 countries have offered to help Turkey. [1]
Syria
In Syria, authorities have thus far reported 3,377 deaths and more than 5,000 injured, with the number likely to increase in the coming hours/days.
The situation in Syria is more complicated than that of Turkey due to the ongoing and decades-long civil war. Due to almost 12 years of hostilities, over 3 million Syrians were already facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Therefore, providing access to aid for survivors and Syrian civilians is proving problematic. This is partially due to the ongoing armed conflict, where those living in opposition-controlled areas have limited access to humanitarian aid. However, the lack of attention paid to the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria has undoubtedly compounded the suffering of civilians on the ground.
In parts of the country, millions of civilians were already internally displaced as a result of war. Since the earthquake IDP camps accommodating the internally displaced are being inundated with survivors, stretching the availability of resources and access to warmth in freezing temperatures.
Syria has blamed sanctions for the failure of aid to reach northern Syria [2]. UN officials are continuing to express their commitment to the humanitarian imperative in Syria, noting that they are temporarily lifting some of its Syria-related sanctions, hoping to help aid move as quickly as possible to those affected.
However, on the 9th of February 2023, three critical days after the earthquake hit, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, confirmed that its first convoy had crossed into Syria, having been delayed by damage. Mr Guterres reported that the convoy of six trucks carried shelter and other much-needed relief supplies into the country. Yet, reports are claiming that the convoy provided by the UN was planned prior to the earthquake. Alluding to the convoy being used as a fail-safe for the UN which is yet to provide substantive humanitarian assistance to the country.
Further, the UN only has one approved cross-border mechanism between Turkey and Syria – Bab al-Hawa that goes into Idlib province, an area devastatingly affected by the earthquake. Access to aid in these areas has been constricted by those attempting to come to political agreements about how the civil war in Syria should end to the detriment of those who require urgent assistance. The World Food Programme (WFP) has appealed for more corridors between Syria and Turkey to be opened to provide stock in opposition-held northwest Syria. [3]
Before the disaster took place, 16 pre-eminent international jurists signed a letter to demand more cross-border access to north-western Syria. [4] The cautious interpretation of the law has resulted in devastating consequences now, with too many restrictions limiting the provision of emergency aid.
More border crossings urgently needed to be opened up to facilitate the free flow of aid unencumbered across the entire region. These proposals should be implemented immediately.
Upcoming humanitarian crisis
The Turkish and Syrian populations are dependent upon immediate international assistance and humanitarian aid. The initial emergency assistance provided will lessen the risk of human rights violations taking place. If left untended both countries are at risk of creating a large-scale humanitarian crisis, particularly in Syria.
Turkey’s ongoing humanitarian crisis arises from underlying socioeconomic pressures and the country hosting the largest refugee population in the world. Further, the refugee population is predominantly constituted of Syrian refugees with an estimated 3.5 million Syrians currently seeking refuge in Turkey. Due to the economic crisis in Turkey, a severe backlash has been faced over accepting Syrian refugees. Therefore, the refugees are at risk of facing further discrimination, violence and poverty as a result of resource scarcity and the economic crisis Turkey will face following the earthquake. There is a lack of aid and political will that will drastically worsen conditions for Syrian refugees and Syrian civilians .
Prior to the earthquake, the scale, severity, and complexity of needs across Syria were continually overwhelming [5]. Conflicts weaken the infrastructure, livelihoods and essential services upon which countries and populations depend to survive shocks such as natural disasters.
Thus, Syria has now reached an intersection where the devastating impact of the pandemic, increasing poverty, ongoing armed conflict and the earthquake mean tragedies are piling up and intensifying in Syria. The earthquake has added another layer to the suffering in north-western Syria, pushing a growing number of the Syrian population into an ever-deeper crisis.
To break the cycle of and reduce the impact of the upcoming humanitarian crisis, it is essential to break cycles of disparities in the international response, prioritising the restoration of basic service delivery irrespective of the politicized relationship in the country and ensuring the countries national humanitarian organisations are aptly funded and prepared for such crises.
Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) share our condolences to the victims of the earthquake. We emphasise the importance of providing unwavering support to the victims of the earthquake. Immediate humanitarian assistance must be offered to Syria. The international community and organisations must further mobilise to prioritise reaching the areas of Syria more in need. Further, armed groups must allow for humanitarian assistance to be provided to survivors.
People retain basic human rights when a natural disaster takes place. We must always uphold human rights under all circumstances, combat violations and impunity. Thus, we urge the international community to recognise the importance of upholding and protecting human rights standards for those affected by the earthquake and to urgently prioritise delivering aid over politics.
Turkey, Syria, earthquake, geneva4justice, GICJ, GenevaI nternational Centre For Justice, Justice
[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/10/turkey-syria-earthquakes-day-five-what-do-we-know-so-far
[2] https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/09/with-over-19000-dead-hopes-fade-for-finding-turkey-and-syria-quake-survivors/
[4] Pressure mounts on UN to provide urgent support to north-western Syria | Syria | The Guardian
[5] https://www.unocha.org/syria
