The Kurdistan Red Crescent (Heyva Sor a Kurdistanê) has sent a humanitarian aid convoy from North and East Syria (Rojava) to Syria’s coastal regions of Homs, Latakia and Tartus to assist communities affected by the recent sectarian massacres, which is known to have killed over 1,000 civilians—mostly Alawites—with actual numbers believed to be even higher.
The aid convoy, consisting of 20 trucks, is carrying 10,000 baskets of staple foods prepared and supported by civil society organisations and residents in the Kurdish-led northeastern region of the country. The Kurdish Red Crescent thanked all civil bodies and companies who have contributed to the success of this initiative, noting that these efforts “reflect the spirit of solidarity among the people of Syria”.
The convoy was organised “due to the painful events on the Syrian coast and the worsening humanitarian situation there as a result of an inadequate humanitarian and relief response”, the aid organisation said the in a post on X on Sunday evening.
Many families along the Syrian coastline have been left homeless after people working under the Ministries of Interior Affairs and Defence, along with proxy militiamen, set fire to their homes in recent days, according to a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Additionally, some families are still hiding in the mountains and forests, fearing execution by gunmen responsible for the massacres and human rights violations against the Alawite community, particularly in villages in the countryside around Baniyas.
The community-supported aid efforts for victims of the sectarian violence in the west of the country come from a region itself facing continuous attacks from Turkish forces and affiliated Islamist mercenaries, including the massacre of a family of nine near Kobani (Kobanê) on Sunday night. “The Kurdish Red Crescent is sending aid to the coast despite already facing war,” Jenny Keasden, an on-the-ground aid volunteer, posted on Telegram. “Communities who know what it means to suffer often come through for each other long after governments & NGOs turn away,” she added.
