DAMASCUS, Feb 8: The United Nations was poised to deliver aid to desperate civilians besieged in rebel-held areas of Syria’s third city Homs today on the second day of a humanitarian truce.
The planned relief convoy comes after 83 children, women and elderly people who had survived more than 600 days under tight army blockade were evacuated from the war-battered enclave yesterday.
The Homs evacuation and aid delivery was made possible by a surprise UN-brokered deal between the Government and rebel commanders on the ground to observe a three-day “humanitarian pause” in hostilities, which largely held yesterday, UN officials said.
The long-sought truce had eluded mediators in last month’s fruitless first round of peace talks between Government and opposition delegations in Switzerland which are due to resume in Geneva on Monday.
The desperately needed food and medicines have been held up for months in a UN warehouse in a Government-controlled area just kilometres (miles) away from the trapped civilians awaiting the ceasefire required for their safe delivery.
Even after yesterday’s evacuation of a first group of civilians who wanted to leave, as many as 3,000 more remain in need inside the enclave, including hundreds more women and children.
Activists say remaining residents have been surviving on little but olives and wild cereals for months.
“UN teams have pre-positioned food, medical and other basic supplies for immediate delivery as soon as the first group of civilians are out and we hope to send this aid on Saturday morning,” UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria Yacoub El Hillo said.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said there had been sporadic shooting during the evacuation of civilians on Friday but that both sides broadly observed the ceasefire.
“We understand that for the most part the operation went smoothly, but there were isolated reports of gunfire heard during the day,” he said. (AGENCIES)
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