(Courtesy CCTV) — Thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the latest offensive in Aleppo and surrounding towns are still stranded in Kilis at the Turkey-Syria border. Though there is a significant aid effort taking place, there are many concerns due to the harsh conditions they are enduring. A major one is the potential spread of disease due to the cold weather.
The refugees have been desperately waiting in already overcrowded camps at the border for Turkish authorities to open the gates.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has been increasing its pressure on Turkey to let them in.
The Turkish government has stated that the open-door policy remains the same, but that there was no need to open the gates as the refugees are being taken care of across the border. The government, together with several non-governmental organizations (NGO), has been distributing aid supplies during the last few days.
As thousands wait in the cold and wet with nothing except what they’ve managed to bring from Aleppo, organizations provide a lifeline as they are stuck waiting to cross into Turkey.
IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation is a Turkish NGO, whose members are predominantly Turkish Muslims, active in more than 100 countries. A group of IHH volunteers have been working around the clock preparing food. Giant pots filled with stew and rice are filled and emptied continuously. Thousands of loaves of bread are prepared and packed to go.
The volunteers then load the food into trucks and transport them across the border to Syrians gathered in lines together with their children, who reach for whatever food they can get. Despite these efforts, conditions remain critical.
“The most important need is shelter. The weather is cold, it’s been pouring rain, it could snow. These are freezing levels; during the last few years over 20 babies lost their lives freezing to death. To prevent this, shelter is a vital need at the moment,” said Burak Karacaoglu, an IHH media adviser.
Although the governor of Kilis had announced that they were distributing tents and blankets, it seems that the survival of the tens of thousands of refugees will continue to be a challenge under these circumstances. (Courtesy China Central Television)
