Medical staff still working under “extreme” conditions in East Aleppo

A few medical staff are still working under extreme conditions in east Aleppo, Médecins Sans Frontières has revealed, although the situation on the ground is such that they express deep fears for their immediate future.

MSF issued a media update to remind all combatants that medical staff and the patients they care for are protected under International Humanitarian Law.

All negotiations to secure access by the UN and other actors, including MSF, in order to provide humanitarian assistance to the besieged areas of east Aleppo have been unfruitful. According to the medical team still in Aleppo, in most cases people seem not to have had the chance to flee when and where they wanted. “It has been impossible to evacuate patients, resupply hospitals and provide much needed assistance to those trapped in the area,” explained MSF. “All parties concerned were, and are, responsible for this failure.”

Médecins Sans Frontières is outraged at the violence exerted against civilians and the passivity displayed by all those who can do something to stop it. The organisation has called on all warring parties to abide by their obligation to protect civilians in both the besieged areas and in areas newly taken over by the Syrian government.

In a conflict that has a horrendous record of atrocities against civilians, and echoing the latest UN statement, MSF is extremely worried about the fate of the population.

“This is one of the worst crises that our staff have witnessed in years,” said the head of MSF’s Emergency Unit for Aleppo, Teresa Sancristoval. “We remind all sides that even war has rules. It is paramount that all parties allow people to flee to safety, allow the evacuation of the sick and wounded, and facilitate the provision of protection and humanitarian assistance to those who are caught on the front lines.”