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UN Relief Coordinator Says Situation in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta Alarming

© REUTERS / Bassam KhabiehMen inspect damage after an airstrike on the rebel held besieged city of Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria April 7, 2017
Men inspect damage after an airstrike on the rebel held besieged city of Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria April 7, 2017 - Sputnik International
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UN Emergency Relief Coordinator said that civilians trapped in the besieged eastern Ghouta in Syria face an extremely difficult situation.

March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows fighters from the Syrian Democratic forces standing near U.S military vehicles on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria - Sputnik International
UK Supports US Aspiration to Swiftly End Conflict in Syria - Ambassador to UN
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) Civilians trapped in the besieged eastern Ghouta in Syria face an extremely difficult situation, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

"I am also gravely concerned about the situation in besieged eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus, where civilians remain trapped amid reports of relentless shelling, airstrikes and ground fighting," O'Brien said.

O’Brien explained the last informal access routes to eastern Ghouta have reportedly been cut off, which further aggravates the situation for the 400,000 people who leave in the area. The United Nations has been unable to reach them since October.

As a way forward, O’Brien insisted consolidating the nationwide ceasefire and allowing for a pause in fighting in eastern Ghouta to enable the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

O’Brien noted an increase in administrative and other bureaucratic impediments by all parties in Syria to delivering aid and called for the lifting of such arbitrary restrictions.

The nationwide ceasefire regime was introduced in Syria on December 30, with Russia and Turkey serving as guarantors. Terrorist organizations operating in the country such as the Daesh (outlawed in Russia) are not part of the ceasefire.

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