WFP sends flour convoy to Sweida

The WFP dispatched 200 tons of flour from Damascus to Sweida after bakeries in the city and its countryside had faced a shortage for several days, amid a worsening bread supply crisis.

According to ANHA correspondents, the convoy set off this morning loaded with flour and is currently en route to Sweida.

Most public bakeries in Sweida and its countryside have completely halted operations for the past four days, with only intermittent openings at some bakeries due to the depletion of flour and the lack of new deliveries. This has exacerbated residents’ difficulties in securing bread.

ANHA correspondents reported that residents of Sweida, Shahba, and Salkhad, along with several private bakeries, have not received any bread at all, amid growing queues and complaints over the absence of this essential commodity.

According to locals, the bread shortage in Sweida stems from the transitional government in Syria ceasing wheat deliveries to the area after imposing a blockade in mid-July following the recent military escalation. As a result, bakeries have become almost entirely dependent on aid from the WFP and the Red Crescent, which remains insufficient; daily demand for flour in Sweida and its countryside exceeds 120 tons, while deliveries cover only about half of that amount.

ANHA  correspondents noted that the central automated bakery in Sweida is operating at doubled capacity to meet demand but faces major challenges due to severe shortages of both flour and diesel.

In a previous field visit, Fadi Al-Shaarani, head of the Relief Committee in Sweida, emphasized the urgent need to increase allocations and secure a reserve stock of at least 100 tons to respond to emergency crises.

Activists warn of serious implications for food security in Sweida if immediate measures to increase and regularize flour deliveries are not taken, especially amid ongoing fuel shortages and bakery disruptions, which could once again bring the threat of a blockade to the forefront.

A-H 

ANHA