UN Envoy: 'The bombing must stop, civilians must be protected' in Aleppo

A new demand by the UN has been made to end the on-going bombardment of Aleppo by pro-Syrian regime forces.

Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, The UN’s Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, told reporters on Thursday in Geneva,

The bombing must stop, civilians must be protected and the cessation of hostilities must be restored … We reiterate once again the United Nations’ repeated appeals in this regard, and call upon the co-chairs of the ISSG [International Syria Support Group] to work together to make the cessation of hostilities a reality once again.

Ramzy went on to discuss US threats to exclude Russia from further cooperation on Syria. Threats were made Wednesday by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, after pro-regime forces scaled up their attacks on Aleppo, with Russian support. Ramzy said that he hoped both the US and Russia would “find a way to resurrect the ninth of September agreement.” Going on to say,

That has been our position and it remains our position and I think this is the best way out of this very difficult humanitarian and military situation in which the Syrians find themselves in today

Ramzy praised humanitarian efforts and said humanitarian actors are “doing their best to help the people of Aleppo”.

Aleppo is currently subject an unprecedented level of attacks by pro-regime forces after the collapse of a ceasefire on 19 September.