clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

UN: Syrian regime stops aid reaching Duma, Darya

March 24, 2016 at 1:14 pm

The Syrian government gave “oral” agreement for humanitarian convoys to head to four besieged areas, but excluded the cities of Duma and Darya, Reuters reported a senior UN official saying.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said residents in those cities are eating grass according to World Food Programme. Duma has the biggest population across Syria, he added.

Recently, NGOs organised a protest, calling for urgent humanitarian aid to 28 suburbs and villages inhabited by 11,000 civilians in Al-Marj neighbourhood in the area surrounding Damascus.

This protest came after a sit in for the people in Darya which took place on 9 March. They called for lifting the four-year siege. Children made a human chain spelling out the humanitarian call SOS during the sit it.

According to Egeland: “A local agreement to end the siege of Al-Wa’er neighbourhood in Homs collapsed.”

The agreement, Arabs48.com said, collapsed early this month after the regime refused to comply with one of its conditions and release 7,350 prisoners. Instead, it planned to release less than 100.

On 9 March, Egeland said the Syrian regime and Daesh have imposed a siege on seven areas across the country.