United Nations has said that it has carried out its first air drop of aid in Syria to help civilians in an eastern city besieged by Islamic State militants.
UN aid chief Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council that the plane dropped 21 tonnes of humanitarian items on a government-held part of Deir al-Zour. Initial reports indicated that the aid had successfully reached the target area. The UN says 2 lakh civilians are living under siege in Deir al-Zour.
Last week, more than 100 lorries carrying food and other basic goods reached 80 thousands people in five other besieged areas of Syria. Two more convoys were sent to two towns besieged by government forces on Tuesday. In another development yesterday, the main Syrian opposition umbrella group said it would respect a provisional ceasefire due to come into force on Saturday for two weeks.
While welcoming the recent announcement of a cessation of hostilities in Syria as a “long-awaited signal of hope,” the top United Nations humanitarian official today echoed the calls of the world body and the international community at large for the parties involved to work towards a more durable ceasefire and facilitate conditions for increased protection and humanitarian aid.
“Enough is enough. This brutality must come to an end,” the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination, Stephen O’Brien, told the UN Security Council during a briefing on the situation in Syria at UN Headquarters in New York earlier today.
“Enough is enough. This brutality must come to an end,” the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination, Stephen O’Brien, told the UN Security Council during a briefing on the situation in Syria at UN Headquarters in New York earlier today.