UN, Charities Warn Drought May Exacerbate Syria’s Hunger Crisis

An internally displaced Syrian boy stands next to boxes of humanitarian aid at the back of a truck in opposition-held Idlib, Syria, June 9, 2021. (Reuters Photo)
An internally displaced Syrian boy stands next to boxes of humanitarian aid at the back of a truck in opposition-held Idlib, Syria, June 9, 2021. (Reuters Photo)
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UN, Charities Warn Drought May Exacerbate Syria’s Hunger Crisis

An internally displaced Syrian boy stands next to boxes of humanitarian aid at the back of a truck in opposition-held Idlib, Syria, June 9, 2021. (Reuters Photo)
An internally displaced Syrian boy stands next to boxes of humanitarian aid at the back of a truck in opposition-held Idlib, Syria, June 9, 2021. (Reuters Photo)

A month-long drought is threatening to exacerbate a hunger crisis in Syria, as wheat might be scarce this year due to poor harvests, according to UN estimates.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expects wheat harvest to be "way down" this season compared to last year, FAO representative in Syria Michael Robson told dpa.

The Welthungerhilfe, a German charity whose name loosely translates as World Food Aid, warned that the number of people dependent on humanitarian aid would increase drastically.

"The hunger situation of the people in Syria is already absolutely catastrophic today," said Syria coordinator Konstantin Witschel.

He said the charity was looking at the harvest with great concern.

"People have no reserves left and must not be left alone with this drought," Witschel urged. "Food will become even scarcer, and prices for bread, vegetables and fruits will continue to rise."
The FAO didn't give exact numbers regarding the wheat harvest, however.

A representative of the Kurdish autonomous region in the north of the country said he was expecting wheat harvest there to collapse by 45 percent. The Kurdish-controlled region is considered vital for Syria’s wheat supplies.

The country has been battered by 10 years of civil war, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Syria has also been suffering from a severe economic crisis since 2019.

According to the World Food Program (WFP), about 12 million Syrians, or almost 60 percent of the population, don't have enough to eat.



Iraqi Oil Minister: Kurdistan Region's Oil Exports to Resume Next Week

A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters
A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters
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Iraqi Oil Minister: Kurdistan Region's Oil Exports to Resume Next Week

A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters
A view shows the al-Shuaiba oil refinery in southwest Basra, Iraq April 20, 2017. Reuters

Oil exports from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region will resume next week, Iraq's oil minister said on Monday, resolving a near two-year dispute as ties between Baghdad and Erbil improve.
The oil flows were halted by Türkiye in March 2023 after the International Chamber of Commerce ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages of $1.5 billion for unauthorized pipeline exports by the Kurdistan Regional Government between 2014 and 2018.

"Tomorrow, a delegation from the Ministry of Oil... will visit the Kurdish region to negotiate the mechanism for receiving oil from the region and exporting it. The export process will resume within a week," Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani told reporters.

According to Reuters, he added that Baghdad would receive 300,000 barrels per day from the region.

Erbil-based Rudaw TV earlier cited Kurdistan's natural resources minister, Kamal Mohammed, as saying oil exports could resume before March as all legal procedures have been completed.

The Iraqi parliament approved a budget amendment this month to subsidize production costs for international oil companies operating in Kurdistan, a move aimed at unblocking northern oil exports.

The resumption is expected to ease economic pressure in the Kurdistan region, where the halt has led to salary delays for public sector workers and cuts to essential services.