Govt Halts Aid Convoys Even as 780 Die in Syria’s Ghouta Region

Eastern Ghouta has reportedly witnessed over 70 deaths in the past 24 hours itself.

Syrian paramedics treat a child who was wounded during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces, at a makeshift hospital, in Ghouta.

(Photo: AP)

At least 780 people, a large number of whom were unarmed men, women and children, have been killed in shelling and airstrikes by the Syrian government in Syria’s eastern Ghouta, a human rights monitor said on Tuesday, 6 March, reported Reuters.

At the same time, the news agency reported that the Syrian government forces halted aid convoys attempting to enter the area, stripping the aid trucks of emergency medical aid, insulin, and other essential medical supplies sent by the United Nations to aid civilians in the enclave.

Eastern Ghouta witnessed over 70 deaths in less than 24 hours, since the evening of 5 March, Al Jazeera reported.

The United Nations said 400,000 people are trapped inside the besieged enclave, and they were already running out of food and medical supplies before the assault began with intense air strikes, two weeks ago, the report added.

Aid Convoys Stripped by the Government

Humanitarian aid convoys were stopped and stripped of essential medical aid by Syrian government forces on 5 March.(Photo: AP)

After government forces stripped essential medical supplies from the convoy, they then pressed on with air and ground assaults, Reuters reported.

The convoy of more than 40 trucks, sent by the non-profit organisation Red Cross, pulled out of Douma in darkness after shelling on the town, without fully unloading supplies during the nine-hour stay, Reuters reported. All staff were safe and heading back to the capital Damascus, aid officials said.

The Russian-backed Syrian army has captured more than a third of the eastern Ghouta region in the recent days, threatening to slice the last major rebel-held area near Damascus in two, despite Western accusations that it has violated a ceasefire, Reuters said.

Russia Reiterates ‘Humanitarian Corridor’ Option

Members of the Syrian Civil Defense group, the White Helmets, remove a victim from under the rubble of a damaged shelter that was attacked during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces.(Photo: AP)

While continuing the assault on Ghouta, Russia’s military offered to “guarantee safe passage” out of the area for rebel fighters and their families on 6 March, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said it would provide transport and a secure corridor for rebel fighters who agree to leave, and would guarantee their immunity from prosecution.

The statement said rebel fighters leaving with their families could take personal weapons with them, Reuters said.

Russia had called for a daily five-hour truce in the area at the end of February. At the same time, the United Nations had called for a 30-day ceasefire in the area. However, with shelling continuing in the region, the United States accused Russia of violating the ceasefire, Reuters added.

The US, also called Russia’s proposal for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians “a joke”, adding that people are afraid to use the corridor for fear of conscription, exile, or death at the hands of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

Use of Chemical Weapons: Russia Warns the US Against Intervention

A Syrian girl who was wounded during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces, cries at a makeshift hospital, in Ghouta.(Photo: AP)

On Sunday, 25 February, Syrian health authorities said several people had suffered symptoms consistent with chlorine gas exposure and on 26 February, rescue workers and a war monitor said seven small children were killed by air and artillery strikes in one town, Reuters reported.

The use of chemical weapons is prohibited under several international treaties, including the Hague Declaration concerning Asphyxiating Gases, the Geneva Gas Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). 

At the same time, the use of chemical weapons is also a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, on Tuesday, told Reuters that only an impartial investigation in Syria by an international commission could determine if allegations about the use of chemical weapons were true.

In response to questions about whether the US should intervene and strike Syria for the use of chemical weapons, the Kremlin replied that it “hopes nothing that breaches international law will occur.”

Ceasefire Resolution Doesn’t Apply to “Terrorist” Rebels: Assad

Syrians inspecting destroyed buildings in Douma, after airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces in the eastern Ghouta region.(Photo: AP)

On 4 March, President Bashar-al Assad said the Syrian army would continue the push into eastern Ghouta.

Many civilian residents have fled from the frontlines into the town of Douma, Reuters reported.

Assad and his allies regard the rebel groups that hold eastern Ghouta as terrorists, and have said that the UN Security Council ceasefire resolution does not apply to operations against them, Reuters reported on 6 March.

For the rebels fighting to oust Assad, the loss of eastern Ghouta would mark their heaviest defeat since the battle of Aleppo in late 2016 and end their ability to target the capital.

(With inputs from Reuters, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Monitor)