GENEVA: The rebel-controlled east of Syria’s Aleppo has officially been declared a “besieged area,” following a months-long government offensive and a lack of access for aid workers, the UN said Wednesday.
Half of the estimated 275,000 Syrians besieged in eastern Aleppo want to leave, the UN said as food supplies are running thin and people are driven to burning plastic for fuel.
Food prices are rising and supplies are running out. Mothers were reportedly tying ropes around their stomachs or drinking large amounts of water to reduce the feeling of hunger and prioritize food for their children, the UN said.
“An assessment conducted in eastern Aleppo city concluded that 50 percent of the inhabitants expressed willingness to leave if they can,” the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an update on the Aleppo situation.
United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke said eastern Aleppo now met all three criteria used to define an area as besieged. That includes military encirclement, lack of humanitarian access and the lack of free movement for civilians.
The UN estimates that there are 275,000 people in eastern Aleppo under siege, Laerke said. The west of the city is controlled by the government and has continued to receive relief supplies.
Once Syria’s economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been devastated by the country’s brutal five-year civil war, with the suffering intensifying since regime troops cut off the last supply route in July.
UN declares east Aleppo ‘besieged’
UN declares east Aleppo ‘besieged’
Palestinians have right to live in peace in ‘own land’: pope
- The two-state solution “remains the institutional framework that addresses the legitimate aspirations of both peoples. Instead, we unfortunately see escalating violence in the West Bank against Palestinian civilians, who have the right to live in peace on
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV has lamented rising violence in the occupied West Bank and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying Palestinians had the right to live peacefully in their “own land.”
“Sadly, there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population, which has the right to live in peace in its own land,” said the US pope, adding that civilians in Gaza also should be assured “a future of lasting peace and justice in their own land.”
During his annual meeting with diplomats accredited to the Vatican to exchange New Year greetings, the Pope said the “humanitarian suffering of civilians continues despite the ceasefire announced in October, adding to the hardships they have already endured.”
He added: The Holy See closely follows every diplomatic initiative aimed at ensuring a future of lasting peace and justice for Palestinians in Gaza, for all Palestinians, and for all Israelis.”
The two-state solution “remains the institutional framework that addresses the legitimate aspirations of both peoples. Instead, we unfortunately see escalating violence in the West Bank against Palestinian civilians, who have the right to live in peace on their land,” he said.
“War is back in vogue, and a zeal for war is spreading,” Pope Leo said, warning that the “weakness of multilateralism is a particular cause for concern.”
“A diplomacy that promotes dialogue and seeks consensus among all parties is being replaced by a diplomacy based on force, by either individuals or groups of allies,” the pope said.
