Saudi Arabia announces Damascus area reconstruction project to clear rubble

Aid from the kingdom’s charity KSRelief will also help rebuild dozens of schools and bakeries throughout Syria.

Saudi Arabia has announced a new project to help with clearing rubble and doing reconstruction in Syria’s capital, Damascus, deepening the kingdom’s ties with the new authorities in Syria.

The state-backed King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre charity (KSRelief) said on Sunday that it would provide an aid package that would help clear an estimated 75,000 cubic metres of rubble from the capital and its surroundings.

Abdullah Al Rabeeah, who leads KSRelief, said at an event in Damascus that the charity was “honoured to inaugurate a number of humanitarian projects for the Syrian people”, including those focusing on health, food security and education.

The aid will also help rebuild 34 schools in Aleppo, Idlib and Homs, reconstruct dozens of bakeries, and rehabilitate sewage and water infrastructure in Damascus.