Humanitarian aid reaches Damascus neighborhood
Humanitarian aid has reached the people in a southern neighborhood of the Syrian capital, Damascus, following a ceasefire deal between local pro-government officials and foreign-backed militants.
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, food and other aid supplies entered Damascus’ southern neighborhood of Qadam on Wednesday.
The ceasefire that allowed for the provision of the supplies to the people in Qadam was reached after months of negotiations, which culminated in August.
The UK-based rights group further noted that dozens of residents had returned to the area at the end of last month.
On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative for Syria Staffan de Mistura praised efforts for establishing peace in different areas in the crisis-hit country as one of the best ways to end years of deadly conflict there.
De Mistura added that a successful local ceasefire in the key city of Aleppo could provide a model for progress in the war-torn country.
On October 30, the UN envoy proposed an action plan for areas where Syrian forces are fighting Takfiri militants, and said the proposal includes “freeze zones” in Syria to allow delivery of humanitarian aid, starting with the country’s largest city, Aleppo.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday expressed his readiness to study the United Nations initiative to “freeze” military operations in Aleppo, saying it is necessary to work on the new proposal in order to bring back security to the city.
Aleppo has been one of the main areas hit by fierce fighting between the government forces and foreign-backed militants.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are reportedly supporting the militants operating in Syria.
