Activists in Douma said that regime forces withheld the green light from an UN aid convoy seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to the hunger-stricken civilians in the Damascus district. It is the second time regime forces blocked the entry of the aid convoy, which was planned to enter the besieged on Tuesday.
The 50-truck aid convoy was stopped at Alwafidin camp at the entrance of Douma for inspection, the activists added.
Elsewhere in Syria, the Assad regime as well as its Russian and Iranian allies have escalated attacks on rebel fighters and civilians in many areas across Syria. In addition to brutal bombardment, the Assad regime carries on with its systematic policy of besiegement and starvation of the rebel-held areas with the aim of forcing people to flee from their homes and bring about a demographic change in Syria.
The Syrian Coalition said that the regime’s besiegement and starvation of the rebel-held areas is a war crime punishable under international law and international humanitarian law.
“This systematic policy is aimed at weakening the rebels then forcing them to sign off on so-called local truce agreements whose terms are dictated by the regime. These agreements, termed ‘national reconciliations’ by the Assad regime, are unacceptable as they contravene the political process. The most stark example of these agreements took place in the Damascus suburb of Daraya in August,” the Coalition added.
Regime forces have laid suffocating siege on eastern Ghouta since early 2012, preventing the entry of food and medical supplies to the civilians trapped inside. Regime forces also cut off electricity and water in eastern Ghouta, causing further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Many people have already died of hunger and lack of medical care, especially in Douma. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Smart News Network)
