The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

640,000 Syrian suffer in 38 stricken areas: Report

Qamishli, Syria – On Wednesday, the Syrian American Medical Association released a report saying that more than 640,000 people are living under siege in Syria.

The report stated that the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs estimates of 212,000 people are not accurate, emphasizing that the number of civilians besieged across the country actually exceeds 640,000. 

Under the banner “Life and death in the Syrian communities under siege”, SAMS’ report shed light on the long-term blockade imposed on the residential areas –some of which started in 2012– which put a huge devastating impact on the stranded people in those areas.

“The crisis of civilians trapped in the war-torn country is much larger than the current estimates of the Coordination Office of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations,” the group said.

The report, comprised of 53 pages, included information about 560 people who died due to the siege imposed on populated areas at several locations in Syria, adding that “the physical impact of the blockade disproportionately affects children and the elderly people”.

The report also noted that the United Nations recognizes that there are ten besieged areas in Syria so far where some 212,000 people live, “however, the actual number of people living under siege amounted to more than 640,000 people, distributed over 38 besieged zones.”

The Syrian-American Medical Association appealed to the United Nations’ agencies to reconsider its estimations, and include the 38 unclassified areas in the U.N. list of stricken areas in Syria. The report also demanded a clarification of the ambiguity in this regard, and the direct monitoring of a possible ceasefire between the conflicting parties by the international community.

Additionally, the Association urged the U.N. Security Council to push for prosecution of those who committed war crimes in Syria against the stranded people in the besieged areas and refer them to the International Criminal Court (ICC). It also further seeks to reform the procedure proposed by France to the Council to adjust the use of the veto in cases of genocide. 

Noteworthy, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, said Monday in his report on the situation in Syria in front of the U.N. Security Council that the Syrian people feel that the world has abandoned them, with an increased focus on the Islamic State group (IS/ISIS).

 

Reporting by: Dilshad Ahmed

Source: ARA News