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UNITED NATIONS, April 21-- The largest number of humanitarian relief trucks in six years crossed from Turkey into northwest Syria in March with aid for 2.8 million displaced people, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday. Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the fast pace was continuing this month as part of a step-up of the cross-border response efforts. This is to address the needs of 2.8 million people, including hundreds of thousands of people displaced since Dec. 1, Dujarric said. In March, more than 1,480 trucks carrying food, shelter material, water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition assistance were sent into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa and the Bab al-Salam border crossings, he said. "These are authorized by the Security Council," the spokesman told correspondents at a regular virtual briefing. "This is the largest number of trucks sent in a single month since the cross-border operation began in 2017." The pace of deliveries continues to increase this month, he said. More than 300 trucks crossed into northwest Syria in the first week of April alone, Dujarric said. They were monitored by the UN Monitoring Mechanism to ensure the humanitarian nature of the deliveries. The deliveries are continuing daily, and 55 more trucks crossed on Tuesday, setting the pace for another record aid delivery month, he said. However, the needs remain incredibly high due to the mass displacement caused by intense hostilities earlier this year, and there are significant concerns about a further increase in the needs due to COVID-19. | 
