Britain announces 50-million-pounds Syria aid package

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.

"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."

Thirty 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.

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That money, mostly distributed through UN 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 UN’s refugee agency.

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.

Syria's interim government vowed on December 12 to institute the "rule of law" after years of abuses under ousted president Bashar Al Assad, as G7 powers pushed for an inclusive transition.

Assad fled Syria after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group and its allies, which brought a sudden end to five decades of iron-fisted rule by his clan.

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