How do you deal with a humanitarian emergency in a divided territory, controlled by numerous warring factions, each with their own international allies?
The international community will be able to verify this in Syria, a country shaken by the earthquake with its epicenter in Turkey and which has been immersed in a civil war for almost 12 years.
Gabriel Garroum, a postdoctoral researcher at Pompeu Fabra University and a collaborator with Agenda Pública, explains in the video that accompanies this news item the situation in the region and what the difficulties will be in getting aid everywhere.
Turkey and Syria earthquakes, last minute live
Turkey and Syria earthquakes, last minute live
“There are areas controlled by the government, especially the city of Aleppo.
Then we have control over the province of Idlib by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other rebel groups.
And then even in the northern strip, the one closest to Turkey, there are a variety of Syrian rebel armed groups, also supported by Turkey.
And if we go to the northeast, there are Kurdish groups of the Syrian Democratic Forces in control of the territory”, explains Garroum.
“This territorial fragmentation also carries with it a fragmentation on the part of humanitarian groups.
Some can or do operate in certain areas, but not in others, ”he adds, giving the well-known White Helmets as an example.
“Unfortunately, one of the possibilities that can be generated here is a politicization of humanitarian aid.
It is a replica of the dynamics of war in a humanitarian context”, warns the specialist.
Various voices have already been raised to request that the actors in the conflict prioritize assistance to the victims of the earthquake over their war interests.
