U.N. says situation in eastern Aleppo "horrendous", calls for humanitarian plan to be enacted

Record ID: 77746

  • Title: U.N. says situation in eastern Aleppo "horrendous", calls for humanitarian plan to be enacted
  • Date: 22nd November 2016
  • Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (NOVEMBER 22, 2016) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS BUILDING NEWS BRIEFING ONGOING JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (OHCHR) SPOKESMAN RUPERT COLVILLE SAYING: "The situation in eastern Aleppo is really so horrendous, I mean it is beyond words, I think we are all struggling to say anything new about it, because it is so unremittingly awful, despite the occasional let-ups, overall the picture is horrendous. And the fact that these hospitals and clinics are continuously being hit is a matter of very, very grave concern." CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA) SPOKESMAN JENS LAERKE SAYING: "It is absolutely heartbreaking and unacceptable that we all are witnessing what is happening on, almost on direct television, directly transmitted, what may amount to war crimes in eastern Aleppo. We need the political actors, and the actors on the ground to create a situation whereby we can implement the U.N. plan, which you are well aware of, the plan that talks about getting medicines, getting medical personnel, getting food and other kinds of relief into eastern Aleppo, safely and securely, and allowing people who are wounded, sick and their family members to be medically evacuated. That is what we need, that is the plan that is there but we need the political actors, the military commanders on the ground to allow this plan to proceed. " JOURNALISTS AND U.N. STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SPOKESWOMAN ALESSANDRA VELLUCCI SAYING: "The plan has been refused but that's not because it has been refused that it is the end of diplomatic efforts. Mr. de Mistura continues - he is not in Geneva - he continues to travel, he continues to speak to people, he continues to try his best, as Mr. O'Brien yesterday with the Security Council, to continue these diplomatic efforts. We can't, we can't just as you said, stay here and look...And we are not. So the efforts are continuing." UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 7th December 2016 12:40
  • Keywords: Aleppo de Mistura aid humanitarian hospitals medical civil war
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,International/National Security
  • Reuters ID: LVA00159J1E13
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The United Nations on Tuesday (November 22) described the situation in the besieged enclave of eastern Aleppo as "horrendous" and "unremittingly awful", following a week of renewed and fierce bombardment on the rebel-held part of the eastern part of city where the U.N. estimates between 250,000 and 275,000 citizens are trapped.
    The assault began last Tuesday, after a weeks-long pause in air strikes and shelling inside east Aleppo. At least 141 civilians were killed, including 18 children, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, and the eastern part of the city's hospitals were devastated.
    "The situation in eastern Aleppo is really so horrendous, I mean it is beyond words, I think we are all struggling to say anything new about it, because it is so unremittingly awful, despite the occasional let-ups, overall the picture is horrendous. And the fact that these hospitals and clinics are continuously being hit is a matter of very, very grave concern", the U.N. Human Rights agency's spokesman Rupert Colville told reporters in Geneva, repeating again that the attacks on hospitals, if proven deliberate and as part of a systematic pattern, could amount to war crimes.
    A few days before the assault started, the United Nations had announced that there were no food rations left for the 275,000 civilians estimated to be besieged in eastern Aleppo.
    "It is absolutely heartbreaking and unacceptable that we all are witnessing what is happening on, almost on direct television, directly transmitted, what may amount to war crimes in eastern Aleppo. We need the political actors, and the actors on the ground to create a situation whereby we can implement the U.N. plan, which you are well aware of, the plan that talks about getting medicines, getting medical personnel, getting food and other kind of relief into eastern Aleppo, safely and securely, and allowing people who are wounded, sick and their family members to be medically evacuated. That is what we need, that is the plan that is there but we need the political actors, the military commanders on the ground to allow this plan to proceed," the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke said during the news briefing.
    On Sunday (November 20), the U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, who rejected the U.N. four point-plan for eastern Aleppo.
    No aid has reached the rebel held part of the city since July, and no civilian has been able to leave following the several fierce airstrike campaign, leaving wounded with life-threatening injuries trapped in the besieged city.
    "The plan has been refused but it is not because it has been refused that it is the end of diplomatic efforts...We can't, we can't just as you said stay here and look...And we are not. So the efforts are continuing", the U.N. spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told reporters, saying de Mistura continues to speak with key players.
    According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, there were also 16 civilian deaths, including 10 children and dozens of injuries as a result of rebel shelling of government-held west Aleppo.
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