Food runs out for 250,000 trapped in East Aleppo

At least 250,000 Syrians in the Eastern part of Aleppo are at risk of starving as the last aid rations were distributed on Thursday, senior UN advisor, Jan Egeland, said in Geneva. He said that humanitarian groups were unable to get access to the place. The area that has been besieged by government forces with […]

At least 250,000 Syrians in the Eastern part of Aleppo are at risk of starving as the last aid rations were distributed on Thursday, senior UN advisor, Jan Egeland, said in Geneva.

He said that humanitarian groups were unable to get access to the place.

The area that has been besieged by government forces with help from Russian air power has been cut off from outside aid since early July.

“It is a horrendous situation,” Egeland, the UN top envoy on humanitarian efforts, in Syria said.

He said the UN appealed again last week to the conflict parties to let food, medicine and health workers into Aleppo.

He said that the UN pleaded to allow the evacuation of some 300 patients along with their families.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Thursday that Russia was continuing its humanitarian pause of air attacks on eastern Aleppo, in comments carried by the Interfax News Agency.

However, Egeland said that continuing heavy fighting on the ground had made aid efforts impossible.

In addition, the warring sides have raised various conditions that have further complicated UN efforts.

“I haven’t seen a place where there has been so much politicisation, manipulation of aid as we have seen in Syria,” he said at a press briefing.

Egeland urged the U.S., which backs Syrian anti-government rebels, and Russia to use their influence to unblock the humanitarian operation.

“Parties that are sponsoring the parties on the ground have to help us more,” he said.

(dpa/NAN)