The Syrians were left to fend for themselves as earthquake relief failed

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After the earthquake struck, Ali al-Eid hauled himself out of his collapsed home in the rebel-held Syrian town of Jenderes and joined other survivors waiting dazedly in the rubble-strewn streets for help getting through. But she did not come.

In the days that followed, he and his family slept in the freezing cold outside the ruins of what was once their mosque, parts of its golden dome gleaming in the wreckage.

Eventually he secured one of the few tents donated by local charities: “But I had to pay $150 for it.” He handed the money over to a local resident who accused him of hoarding scarce supplies, something echoed by many in this disaster-stricken city of grief.

The international community responded immediately to the February 6 earthquake, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in supplies and specialized rescue teams to stricken southern Turkey, an hour’s drive north of Jenderes.

But in this deserted patch of rebel-held Syria, no international aid arrived for nearly a week, leaving shell-shocked victims to fend for themselves, as they had done over and over over the course of 12 years of civil war. “I should have known no one would come to help us,” Eid said. “Nobody ever has.”

The world’s attention has largely shifted away from the conflict in Syria, which began in 2011 as an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, as his regime crushed an insurgency to regain control of two-thirds of the country, with help from Russia and Iran. But the last remnants of the armed opposition are still holding out in the northern enclaves, some of which are under Turkish protection.

Nearly 4 million people are trapped in one of them, northwestern Idlib province, under the control of a former branch of al-Qaeda. About two million people live in enclaves under Turkish control that rely heavily on support from Ankara, including those around Jindris. The majority depend on foreign aid to survive.

Local charities hand out bags of flatbread, canned food and blankets in Jinderes © Raya Jalabi / FT

Martin Griffiths, the UN aid coordinator, has admitted his organization has failed in northwestern Syria, adding that it is his duty to fix that. But it is not clear how this could happen on a large scale or fast enough. And for the 2,274 confirmed fatalities in rebel-held areas, it is already too late.

Aid deliveries to areas outside regime control have been heavily politicized since the war, notably by Assad and his ally Russia in the United Nations Security Council. Together, they have gradually restricted aid flows. The United Nations, which works in both regime and opposition-held areas, has rarely expressed discontent, which critics say helps it maintain access to regime-held areas at the expense of desperate populations in the northwest.

The rebel-held area is dotted with informal tented settlements, such as those on the outskirts of Jinderes © Raya Jalabi / FT

The Financial Times, which gained rare access to the enclave as part of a trip facilitated by the Turkish government that controls the wider region and supports some 50,000 rebel fighters, found people grappling with the enormity of their loss.

Those who survived camped out wherever they could, among the rows of collapsed buildings or in the olive groves that dot the area. Some people took refuge with their relatives in ancient tent settlements, where they lived for years. Most of them were still covered in dust and dirt that had clung to their night clothes since they rushed from their homes in the early hours of 6 February.

“Maybe we will be punished for staying out of the war,” said Mohammed, a former fighter from Homs who borrowed $50 to buy clothes and food for himself and his infant. “Do you have any infant formula?” he asked before walking away.

For four days, most aid was halted due to damage to the crossing caused by the earthquake. Under intense global pressure, the United Nations said on Monday that Damascus would open two more border crossings, allowing several trucks to pass through on Tuesday.

But the move was quickly decried by civil defense workers in northwestern Syria, who said the UN had given a “free political dividend” to the Assad regime. Meanwhile, UN convoys sent across regime lines towards the northwest found themselves surrounded by al-Qaeda’s former branch.

Also, most of the UN aid sent since the earthquake was pre-planned and did not include emergency relief or rescue equipment.

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The Financial Times saw local charities distributing Arabic flatbread, soup and blankets, although trucks from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have started arriving. The Turkish Disaster Relief Agency also sent relief, but the Turks were preoccupied with their own disaster.

Turkey is the largest state presence in rebel-held areas. Since 2018, Ankara has launched a number of raids against Kurdish militants it considers terrorists, but it has ruled much of these border areas in Syria, which were historically home to many Kurds who have since been expelled.

A member of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, oversees clearing rubble as they search for survivors in Jenderes © Raya Jalabi / FT

Those military operations have evolved into a mission that touches all areas of security and civilian life, with the Turkish presence strongly felt at every turn. But locals still complain about the instability, dozens of factions competing for resources, and young men running around with guns they barely know how to carry.

Fighters who accompanied the FT about Jindris said the stipend they received from Ankara, at $50 a month, was not enough to erase their resentment of the foreigners’ occupation.

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“At the same time, if it weren’t for Turkey, things would be worse here,” said one, who asked that his name be withheld for fear of reprisals.

Things are as chaotic as they are desperate in Jinderes, which locals fear will mean they don’t get the help they need.

“The international groups should come and distribute the aid,” said Dima Aboush, who was sheltering near her collapsed building. “Otherwise, everyone here will fight each other to the death for scraps.”

Another unnamed fighter said: What do you expect after 12 years without a state? We were left here to rot alongside the dead bodies.”

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