Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said Russia and the Syrian regime will open three humanitarian corridors “to aid civilians held hostage by terrorists and for militants wishing to lay down their arms” and one more corridor to the north of the city for rebels to leave.
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Russian Federation said a fourth corridor would be set up in the north of the city for surrendering rebels, near the Castello road which the army recently seized.
Syria’s president has also offered an amnesty for rebels laying down arms and surrendering within three months.
Syrian opposition groups say the Russian proposal for humanitarian corridors is actually a plan to force Aleppo’s population to flee, likening it to a “war crime”.
The UN said on Monday that food supplies in Aleppo were expected to run out in mid-August and many medical facilities continued to be attacked.
Syria’s and Russia’s creation of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians besieged in eastern Aleppo in Syria does not relieve them of their obligation to avoid civilian casualties and allow aid to those who remain.
“If Assad shows that he is winning Aleppo, and he’s now also advancing on the rebels in Damascus, it could trigger a more dramatic shift by finally convincing opposition groups that they have lost the war”, said Aron Lund, nonresident associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Slaughtering us, starving us, and besieging civilians”, he said, speaking from the city via Skype.
“What we need urgently is a humanitarian pause in all areas of Aleppo affected by the violence”, said Robert Mardini, ICRC director for the Near and Middle East, on his return from Syria and Iraq.
The Syrian government has reportedly been dropping leaflets detailing safe passage routes for more than 300,000 trapped civilians in Aleppo.
Aleppo, located near the borders with Turkey, has been a focal point of clashes between the Syrian Army and the rebels.
Feras Badawi, a local journalist in the eastern part of the city, said that “there are no corridors open yet, and we don’t trust that they will let us out”.
The announcement comes after Russian Federation said its forces and the Syrian government would open humanitarian corridors outside Aleppo and offer a way-out for fighters wanting to surrender. Noting “serious concern” about the situation in Aleppo, saying that the city is “de facto besieged”, because it is nearly completely encircled militarily.
“What needs to happen is the innocent people of Aleppo should be able to stay in their homes, safely, and to receive the humanitarian access which Russian Federation and the [Syrian] regime have agreed in principle”, he said.
There are no signs yet that residents have converged on the crossings. The TV also aired a call from Aleppo clerics, calling on armed groups to drop their weapons.
There have been several presidential amnesty offers in recent years.
Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the outbreak of the conflict five years ago, has been divided between government forces and rebels since the summer of 2012.
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Shoigu said in televised remarks on Thursday that President Vladimir Putin, in response to a request by Kerry, ordered a general and experts to Geneva.
