May 4, 2018, it became known that the White house administration temporarily suspended the allocation of funds for the volunteer organization «White helmets«. The US share dropped to about one third of the total funding the «Syrian civil defense» (the official name of the structure). In addition, it was frozen more than $200 millionearmarked for various charity projects in Syria.
The leaders of the «White helmets», in March met with representatives of the USA and received high evaluation of its activities. In the U.S. government noted the dedication of the members of the organization and stated that they saved thousands of lives in Syria.
«Our meeting in March was very positive. There were even plans to long-term support until 2020. Any statements about the withdrawal of aid was not,» says Raed Saleh, a representative of the White helmets.
However, a month later, the money has been frozen. In the U.S. Department of State (U.S. Department of State) said that at the moment this question is being studied, and in the near future the government will decide on possible further funding of the organization.
According to representatives of the «Syrian civil defense», in the coming months they have cash reserves, but in the event of prolonged lack of assistance the situation will become «catastrophic«.
«This is a very disturbing development. Ultimately, this will have a negative impact on the ability of humanitarian workers to save lives» — commented on the situation in the organization.
White helmets-known for their work in Syria. After the country began a civil war, the volunteers were United in a civil support platform. Now the group includes about 3 thousand people. It is believed that they saved around 70 thousand lives during the military actions in the region. However, the most widely known organization acquired after the statements of its members about the use of the army of Bashar al-Assad ‘s chemical weapons. As a rule, members of the «White helmets» first reported about another attack prohibited weapons.
Russia has repeatedly accused the «Syrian civil defense» in creating the staged video and denied the facts of use of chemical weapons.
