Aid Distribution in Southern Lebanon

The first U.N. aid shipment has arrived in Tyre, southern Lebanon, but distributing aid in the embattled region will be a big challenge.

TYRE, Lebanon — Wednesday afternoon, the first

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KEVIN SITES: Can you tell me what kind of supplies have been brought down here and how difficult it was in getting everything to Tyre?

KHALED MANSOUR: This is the first United Nations humanitarian relief convoy to come to south Lebanon. We have 90 tonnes of food. We have medical supplies for tens of thousands of people. We have some supplies for a Palestinian refugee camp. We have supplies for children.

The importance is not what we have here. The importance of this convoy is that it arrived safely and that this was the first convoy after we reached an identification system, telling the factions — telling the Israelis and also telling Hezbollah — what we are doing here: when we are leaving, when we are arriving, how many trucks, etc., etc.

SITES: Tell me about the difficulty in making that happen. Because, it's been two weeks since this conflict has happened. There's 50,000 needy people here. Why did it take so long?

It took a few days to get a clear system in place, and to get agreement in place. To ensure that the roads would be open and that there would be safe passage. That's what we have been calling for from the first week. This is turning into a humanitarian crisis. Nobody will benefit from the suffering of more civilians and that thousands of people are still besieged in the south. They are running out of water and food and we have to get to them.

SITES: And medical supplies as well.

MANSOUR: And medical supplies.

SITES: The thing is, bringing in supplies like this will make a magnet for other people to come into the area that have nothing. Can the UN help to guarantee safety of those people who come to Tyre now?

MANSOUR: What we are trying to do is get supplies to people where they are. We are not encouraging people to leave or stay. That's a decision that everybody should make for himself or herself and their families. What we are trying to do is get supplies to the people even deeper south in the coming few days.

SITES: Even where the attacks are taking place?

MANSOUR: Even where the attacks are taking place.

SITES: But, now the idea here is not to make a hub of this area as a relief supply source where they can come and get supplies?

MANSOUR: No, no, no. I mean, we have a long experience in how relief supplies can attract people and how relief camps can move people out of villages and disrupt their lives. We try all the time to get supplies to people where they are, where they chose to be.

SITES: So what will you do with this now? Will it be warehoused or will some of it be distributed immediately?

MANSOUR: The food should be distributed immediately; I mean this week. This will be distributed by the municipality. We have discussed distribution with them. The medical supplies will go to a medical center nearby. Other supplies will go to the refugees, the Palestinian refugee camp.

SITES: Which medical center? The government hospital, Najem? Or another one?

MANSOUR: There's a medical center... just north of [Tyre].

SITES: What are we looking at here? What was brought down just in terms of numbers, both in food and medicine?

MANSOUR: We are looking at 90 tonnes of wheat flour. We are looking at medical supplies, basic medical supplies. Enough to take care of 50,000 people for three months. I'm talking from antibiotics to anti-diarrhea medication, to stethoscopes. We are talking about supplies for sanitation like water purification tablets.

SITES: Which you need now. There's diarrhea and water-borne diseases.

MANSOUR: Exactly. What you worry about in conditions like these is epidemics. Once people, as we heard today, start drinking dirty water... you can really fear an epidemic happening, especially from children who are the most vulnerable.

SITES: So, right now what will happen with these supplies? Will they be warehoused? Who will be responsible for that?

MANSOUR: This is the first convoy and the municipality of Tyre will take care of distributing the food and the supplies for children and the water purification tablets, etc. The medical supplies will go to a medical center just north of here while UNRWA, which is the agency taking care of the Palestinian refugees, will take care of their supplies.

SITES: Now, can we expect to see more convoys like this in the coming days?

MANSOUR: As long as we have safe passage, we will do more convoys. We are planning two on Friday and are hoping to go deeper south very soon.

SITES: How far south are you planning on going?

MANSOUR: As far as we can go.

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