12th convoy departs E. Ghouta amid evacuation deal

By Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria

The 12th convoy carrying civilians and opposition fighters from Syria’s besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta arrived in the western suburbs of Aleppo and Idlib provinces on Sunday.

According to Anadolu Agency correspondents based in the area, the evacuees were taken from the towns of Arbin, Zamalka, and Ain Tarma.

Sunday’s convoy was made up of buses carrying nearly 2,875 passengers, including injured people, medical patients, women and children.

At least 45,000 people have been evacuated from Eastern Ghouta since the evacuation process began on March 22.

Evacuees are being accommodated at temporary refugee centers, and at local schools and mosques, in Syria’s northwestern Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

The evacuations are part of a Russian-brokered agreement between Syria’s Assad regime and armed opposition groups.

On Feb. 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401, which called for a cease-fire in Syria -- especially in Eastern Ghouta -- to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Despite the resolution, however, the regime and its allies early in March launched a major ground offensive -- backed by Russian air power -- aimed at capturing opposition-held parts of the district.

Since Feb. 19, more than 1,400 people have been killed in attacks by the regime and its allies in Eastern Ghouta, according to local civil-defense sources.

Home to some 400,000 residents, the district has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years which has prevented the delivery of badly needed humanitarian supplies.

Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN officials, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict to date.