For the second time in less than a month, the United Nations said that it remained deeply concerned by the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern Ghouta near Damascus.
Around 400,000 people have been trapped in eastern Ghouta since regime forces and their allied foreign militias laid a crippling siege on the area in 2012.
“The UN has not reached any part of eastern Ghouta since October last year,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, in the daily briefing at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.
Dujarric said that the UN stands ready to immediately deliver life-saving assistance to those in need of assistance in eastern Ghouta, located in the suburbs of Damascus, should the pause be established and adhered to by all parties to the conflict.
With commercial and humanitarian supplies blocked, prices of basic staple goods have gone up significantly, Dujarric said, noting that civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities and schools, continue to be affected by the tight restrictions, shelling, airstrikes, and ground fighting. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
