Syrians would rather die than accept aid via Assad-held areas, says Idlib minister – BBC Newsnight

In Syria, over a week on from the quake, aid is in some areas still completely non-existent.

In Idlib, the wreckage has meant humanitarian access has been severely constrained, but there are other reasons.

Few NGOs apart from Medecin sans Frontiers and The White Helmets, are operating there, the UN has accused the rebel leaders who control the province of actively hindering the delivery of aid, and in an area still engaged in bitter conflict with the Syrian regime under Assad, who gets what has become intensely political.

Newsnight spoke to Muhammed Bashir, a senior minister in Idlib’s de facto government, who are backed by hardline Islamist groups deemed as terror organisations by some Western governments.

Referring to Assad-controlled Syria, he argues ‘the Syrian people all prefer to die rather than accept anything from this criminal regime’.

Please subscribe HERE bit.ly/1rbfUog

—

Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BBCNewsnight 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsnight

#Newsnight #BBCNews