Red Cross warns of critical situation in Eastern Ghouta

By Fatih Erel and Serife Cetin

GENEVA

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday warned of a humanitarian crisis in Syria's besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta due to intensified fighting, food shortages and the blocking of medical evacuations and aid delivery.

"The humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta has reached a critical point. As so often in Syria over the last six years, ordinary people are once again trapped in a situation where life slowly becomes impossible and where goods and aid are severely limited," the ICRC’s Middle East director, Robert Mardini, said in a statement.

"The sick and injured must not be used as pawns in negotiations between the different parties involved in the fighting. Medical attention must be promptly given to those who need it irrespective of who they are," Mardini added.

Noting that many civilians have been killed or injured since the latest spike in hostilities began on Nov. 14, the ICRC said hundreds of sick and wounded people have been deprived of life-saving medical care.

"Some families can afford to eat only one meal a day, an especially sad situation for people with children. As a result, most people have been relying entirely on aid from humanitarian organizations," Mardini said.

The ICRC director called on warring parties “to reach a solution that puts civilians first and allows humanitarian aid to reach the population on a regular basis".

“No military or political gains could justify this amount of suffering, whether in Eastern Ghouta or elsewhere in Syria,” he added.

The European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, called for the speeding up of medical deliveries to the region and accelerated evacuations, noting the situation in Eastern Ghouta was rapidly worsening.

Stylianides said in a written statement that over the past few weeks, the situation in the besieged enclave near Damascus had deteriorated rapidly.

“Its 400,000 inhabitants face major humanitarian challenges, as there is a shortage of basic supplies including food, fuel and medicine.”

He added that the situation is leading to severe malnutrition, medical emergencies and an increased risk of diseases.

“Around 500 people, including 137 children, require urgent medical evacuation,” he said, adding:

“In order to help those in need, I strongly urge for the immediate granting of sustained and unhindered access for aid deliveries and medical evacuations. We must not allow for civilians to be taken hostage by the conflict in Syria.”

He called on all parties to the conflict to make the protection of civilians their utmost priority, stating that it is not only a moral obligation but also a clear obligation under international humanitarian law.

“The European Union will continue to provide aid wherever it is needed in Syria. But only a political solution can bring an end to this suffering.”

On Dec. 7, the unified Syrian opposition’s delegation urged Russia to put pressure on the regime for a medical evacuation in Eastern Ghouta.

Home to some 400,000 civilians, Eastern Ghouta has been under siege by regime forces since December 2012.

The besieged area falls within a network of de-escalation zones set up in Syria by Turkey, Russia and Iran in which acts of aggression are forbidden.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN officials.