Escalating violence there, where Russian Federation and Iran are supporting bombing campaigns against the rebels, some of whom are backed by Arab and Western powers, has caused the breakdown of Geneva peace talks overseen by de Mistura.
Advertisement
He also recalled the urgent need to install a 48-hour truce in Aleppo to give humanitarian convoys enough time to achieve meaningful aid deliveries.
The UN envoy spoke after suspending the weekly meeting of the humanitarian task force “as a sign of deep unhappiness”, pointing out that convoys had been unable to reach parts of war-torn Syria for a month, Aleppo in particular.
Earlier, he abruptly called off a United Nations humanitarian task force meeting in Geneva to protest a lack of aid convoys to priority areas of Syria this month amid new fighting.
The United Nations suspended the work of its humanitarian aid task force in Syria amid ongoing airstrikes, including one that injured a 5-year-old boy who has become the most recent face of the country’s bloody civil war. Aleppo-based freelance photographer Mohammed Raslan Abu Sheikh, who was at the scene, said civilian rescuers and aid workers were elated as Omran was pulled out of the rubble alive with the rest of his family of six.
The boy, who survived the onslaught, was identified by a doctor and brought to the hospital known as “M10” on Wednesday (Aug 17) night in the wake of the air strike by Russian jets on Qaterji, the neighbourhood held by rebels. “He was in a state of shock, not even crying, he made us cry while he himself was silent, just watching us”, Abu Sheikh told Reuters.
Moscow must ensure the Syrian army, its ally, adheres to the pause, while the United States and regional powers must make sure opposition fighters are on board, he said.
“Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas”, he told reporters.
According to a press note, the Special Envoy welcomed Russia’s statement, and the UN humanitarian team is now set to mobilize itself to respond to this challenge, as stated recently by UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien.
The Syrian opposition has said it wants to see a credible pause in the bloodshed and improved humanitarian aid access to Aleppo before peace talks can resume.
Advertisement
Amnesty International said Thursday that Syrian authorities were committing torture on a “massive scale” in government prisons including beatings, electric shocks, rape and psychological abuse that amount to crimes against humanity.
