Britain announces 50 million pounds Syria aid package

A Syrian fighter shouts at people suspect of looting at a residential complex of former Bashar Assad’s military officers at the village of Husseiniyeh, in the outskirts of Damascus, Syria.
| Photo Credit: AP

Britain on Sunday announced a 50 million pounds ($63 million) aid package to help vulnerable Syrians after rebels last week overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

Millions of Syrians need humanitarian assistance after more than a decade of civil war that shattered much of the country’s infrastructure and displaced large numbers of people. Some of the many who fled the country are returning from neighbouring states.

By the numbers

– 30 million pounds will provide “immediate help to more than a million people including food, shelter, emergency healthcare, and protection for the most vulnerable”, Britain said in a statement.

That money, mostly distributed through U.N. channels, will support “emerging needs including the rehabilitation of essential services such as water, hospitals and schools”.

– To help Syrians in neighbouring countries, 10 million pounds will go to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon and 10 million pounds will go to Jordan via the WFP and the U.N.’s refugee agency.

“The fall of the horrific Assad regime provides a once-in-a-generation chance for the people of Syria,” foreign minister David Lammy said. “We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course.”