Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition Abdul Rahman Mustafa said that the Assad regime’s disruption of the entry of a UN aid convoy to eastern Ghouta on Monday has shown that it is unwilling to allow much-needed relief aid to reach civilians with the aim of putting more pressure on them and ultimately forcing them to surrender.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday said that the convoy of more than 40 trucks pulled out of Douma in darkness after shelling on the town, without fully unloading supplies during a nine-hour stay.
Reuters quoted a World Health Organization (WHO) official as saying that regime forces had ordered 70 percent of medical supplies to be stripped out of the convoy, preventing trauma kits, surgical kits, insulin and other vital material from reaching the area.
Vice-president Mustafa said that these incidents have been repeated in many areas under siege by regime forces and have cruelly exposed the Assad regime’s real intentions. He underscored that the Assad regime will continue to refuse to implement the recently adopted UN Security Council resolution 2401, adding that the regime’s blocking of relief aid is aimed at circumventing the UN resolution and put increasing pressure on residents of eastern Ghouta and forcing them to submit to its conditions.
“The continued violations of UN resolutions have clearly exposed the international community’s inaction in Syria, which is being exploited by the Assad regime and its backers to the full,” Mustafa said. He expressed hope that the UN Security Council will take action and defend its resolutions and save hundreds of thousands of civilians.
“The Assad’s violations of international resolutions risk encouraging everyone to rebel against the entire international system. Ten days have passed since resolution 2401 was adopted but is has not been enforced yet, which encourages international chaos.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)