In another battleground of Syria’s civil war, minimal food deliveries finally reached the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which has been besieged and blockaded by government forces for almost four years, but opposition activists said heavy bombardment held up the aid’s distribution.
Advertisement
Jean-Marc Ayrault, France’s foreign minister, accused Syria of “extraordinary duplicity” over the bombings, which came just as aid workers were beginning to distribute supplies to thousands of desperate people.
Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism.
The Syrian regime agreed to allow convoys of humanitarian aid to enter all nineteen areas that are besieged by the end of June according to the United Nations envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura’s announcement yesterday.
The aid delivered would be sufficient for one month, Mehrez added, without specifying how many people would benefit.
At least 20 people were killed, including 13 civilians, and more than 30 people were wounded in twin suicide bombings outside the Shiite shrine of the Sayyida Zeinab in suburban Damascus area, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“We don’t understand the United Nations figure”, Matar said. Other figures used by the council, however, show the population to be closer to 8,000.
The land convoy – the second to the area since March 22 – also included mattresses, blankets, diapers, vaccines, water pumps and generators, Pawel Krzysiek said.
According to Tharwat, the aid convoy that arrived Friday is the first of a number of Egypt’s planned humanitarian aid deliveries to besieged Syrian towns.
The UN subsequently made clear that out of the 19 besieged areas in Syria it has requested permission from the Damascus regime to deliver aid to 17 places.
The official said he had met some beneficiaries of the food aid and community leaders. “Most families have to do with one meal per day in order to be able to get by”, he said.
UN Humanitarian Coordinating Agency (OCHA) spokesperson Jens Laerke said the overnight convoy had been a success.
Advertisement
Residents say the bombardment prevented the food aid from getting to people who needed it.
