Humanitarian Corridors

Humanitarian corridors are set up during the armed conflict by announcing temporary ceasefire.

About Humanitarian corridors

• Humanitarian corridors are demilitarized zones, mainly set up to provide relief for civilians during an armed conflict. They’re established in a specific area and for a specific time based on mutual agreement of both sides of an fortified conflict.
• Using these corridors, civilians can be evacuated. Food, medical aid and other necessary items can also be supplied to cities which are under siege. These corridors are extremely important because generally during war, people are cut off from basic food supplies, electricity and water.

Setting up of humanitarian corridors

• Generally humanitarian corridors are negotiated by the United Nations. Local groups also take the action in some cases. Still, all sides of the conflict need to agree to set up the corridors.
• Parties to the conflict determine who’ll get access to the corridors. Generally, humanitarian associations like Red Cross would get access. Parties also determine the area, duration of stay, and means of transport to be used.
• In some cases, one of the parties to the conflict alone establishes humanitarian corridors. For example, USA’s airlift after the Berlin blockade by the Soviet Union in 1948-1949.

Russia-Ukraine war
Lately, humanitarian corridors were announced in Mariupol and Volnovakha to evacuate civilians. Still, the Mariupol city administration postponed the evacuation for security reasons, as Russia continued bombing. But Russia denies these allegations. Negotiations to set up several other corridors in Ukraine were also not successful.