In remote south-east Syria, near the Jordanian border, 50,000 people are in need of critical humanitarian assistance, living within Rukban Camp in the midst of harsh desert conditions.
On 3 November, an inter-agency convoy of 67 trucks arrived at the camp with humanitarian assistance that included 10,475 food parcels and flour bags, 10,075 hygiene kits and plastic sheets, 1,200 newborn baby kits, as well as nutrition and health assistance. The convoy, facilitated by the WFP-led Logistics Cluster together with the Syrian Arabic Red Crescent (SARC) and UN Agencies, was the result of extensive coordination efforts.
“The operation was logistically very challenging due to the isolated nature of the camp. Trucks with fuel and benzene had to be organised in order to refill vehicles for the return to Damascus and a complex schedule was also devised to manage the cross-loading of commodities, which lasted three days,” said Syria Logistics Cluster Coordinator, Samuel Terefe.
“But despite the complexities, the operation was a huge success. It was an incredible example of teamwork and what can be achieved when the humanitarian community bands together.”
The WFP-led Logistics Cluster was activated in Syria in January 2013 to assist with the facilitation of critical logistics services across the region. Fast-forward almost six years and strong logistics coordination remains vital, with restricted cargo movement an ongoing challenge for logistics responders. To overcome these constraints and ensure aid reaches the country’s hardest-to-reach areas, coordination of inter-agency convoys is a key component of the Syria operation. Read more about the Syria operation here.