Netherlands stops aid to Syrian rebels because it does not bring expected results

A rebel fighter in front of a bus heading to Idlib, Syria. Photo: Reuters

The decision comes as newspapers have discovered that one of the rebel groups in Syria has been labelled a terrorist organisation by Dutch prosecutors.

In a letter to the House of Commons, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok and Foreign Trade Minister Sigrid Kaag said: “The chances of a rapid change in the situation in Syria are extremely low,” and announced the end of the support program for rebels in the Middle Eastern country.

The program to support "moderate" anti-government groups in Syria was set up by the Netherlands and like-minded donors, and has cost over $80 million over the years, according to a document.

However, the program has not “yielded the expected results” and will be terminated because the Syrian army “will soon win” the fight against rebel groups.

Over the years, the Netherlands has allocated $29 million to the NLA “non-lethal weapons” support program, $14.5 million to the White Helmets organization, and $17.1 million to the Access to Justice and Community Security Program (AJACS) in Syria.

AJACS was reportedly created to support "community policing" in Syria, particularly for the group known as the Free Syrian Police (FSP).

According to the document, support for the rebels will end immediately, while the White Helmets organization will be funded until the end of December.

An investigation by two Dutch newspapers - Nieuwsuur and Trouw, has shown that there are currently up to 22 armed groups that are recipients of aid through the NLA program, including at least the terrorist group Jabhat al-Shamiya.

A Dutch man is currently facing charges for joining the group in 2015. The journalists also identified five other rebel groups that have been involved in human rights abuses and have collaborated with terrorist groups. More information on the rebel groups will be published in the Nieuwsuur and Trouw newspapers in the coming days./.