The humanitarian situation in Syria is now so bad that the Red Cross is struggling to cope, the new head of the international aid agency said on November 8. The ICRC, which works in collaboration with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to deliver aid in the conflict-wracked country, has “a lot of blank spots” with regard to meeting the needs of the people on the ground, he said. Maurer said the amount of aid getting into the country had increased following his visit after dipping to a “low level in the summer months” owing to “serious obstacles.”
After the talks, Damascus had allowed 14 ICRC aid lorries carrying food and medicine to enter the country, Maurer said, adding that the agency had also secured the use of warehouses inside Syria.
“There is an unknown number of people in Syria who do not get the aid they need,” Maurer said, adding that the Red Cross had no strategy in the country beyond taking action when and where it could.