The U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power said that “siege is a tactic we see applied across Syria by both the Assad regime and terrorist groups. Last month, Under-Secretary General Amos told this Council that the UN estimates 440,000 civilians are living in besieged areas, meaning most people cannot get out and assistance cannot get in,” during a UN Security Council debate on the Middle East.
“Some aid groups estimate the total is much higher. In Deir Ezzor, another besieged city, ISIL has systematically blocked humanitarian access and even cut off the water supply for months at a time, while regime forces have prevented residents from leaving. The Assad regime and the terrorists use the suffering of Syrian civilians as just another tool to advance their position or undermine that of their enemies,” she added.
The Syrian Coalition earlier said that the Assad regime is the biggest beneficiary of the ISIS/Assad Regime siege on Deir Ezzor, as it seeks to play the role of the victim in front of the UN Security Council.
“We call upon UN relief organizations to put pressure on the Assad regime to immediately allow aid to civilians trapped inside the city, implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2139 which calls for the delivery of humanitarian aid to all besieged areas.”
The shortages of food, medical supplies and water cleaning agents and power outages have led to the outbreak of epidemics such as lice, scabies, hepatitis A and typhoid, forcing schools to close down. (Syrian Coalition + Agencies)
