Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) criticised the miserable failure of the international community in responding swiftly to the humanitarian catastrophe that struck northern Syria due to the devastating earthquake.
Several appeals were made to the international community during the first three days of the earthquake to provide aid to save those trapped under the rubble, however, none of the rescue teams and equipment needed to remove the rubble were sent and hopes of recovering the survivors vanished.
The failure of rescue teams and humanitarian aid to arrive timely exacerbated the disaster raising the number of victims to more than 3 thousand dead and leaving thousands without a shelter, including children, women and the elderly.
AOHR UK condemned the international community for being preoccupied with useless political discussions while a humanitarian catastrophe that required a rapid response was taking place. The international community is responsible for the fate of those affected by the earthquake and those who need food, medicine and shelter, and it is also responsible for exacerbating the catastrophe.
AOHR UK stressed the need to break the siege on the earthquake-hit areas in northern Syria and called on humanitarian relief NGOs around the world to urgently deliver the necessary aid to the victims and to save more lives from being lost due to the cold and the late medical and humanitarian response.
