GENEVA – Geneva Council for Human Rights and Justice (GCHRJ) called for immediately lifting of the restrictions of humanitarian aid to areas of former strongholds of opposition in Syria due to the risky situation of civilians.
GCHRJ, an international human rights organization, expressed in a press release its deep concerns about the suffering of thousands of Syrians due to a shortage of humanitarian assistance in areas under the control of government forces during the current year.
Tens of thousands of Syrian civilians in areas recaptured by Assad regime troops have lost access to humanitarian aid because relief agencies can no longer reach them.
The Council elaborated that International aid groups have been forced to halt their crucial health, food and protection services because they have no regime authorization to work.
Vulnerable civilians in Syria’s south, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, and rural parts of Homs province have been left without the vital support they once relied on.
As a result, thousands of civilians were affected by the suspension of humanitarian aids. International organizations are concerned with the humanitarian file in Syria of the risk of stopping their work or arresting their team because of lacking the approval of the Syrian government.
“During the course of the war, as areas have changed hands to government control, the IRC has stopped providing support in those areas “During the course of the war, as areas have changed hands to government control, the IRC has stopped providing support in those areas,” IRC country director Lorraine Bramwell said.
The second track has been stopped in cities where the regime has totally controlled since April, after massive attacks followed by evacuation agreements for tens of thousands of civilians and opposition fighters in northern Syria. Opposition factions lost their main strongholds in the eastern Ghouta near Damascus, northern Homs (central) and Daraa and Quneitra provinces to the south.
GCHRJ stressed the seriousness of the cessation of aid that threats to exacerbate the difficult humanitarian situation of civilians.
The International Human Rights Council stressed that there is no absolute justification to put civilians at the risk of lacking the humanitarian aid and supplies as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
In this regard, GCHRJ called on the United Nations and the international community to take immediate action to lift restrictions on humanitarian access in all areas of need in Syria, regardless of any considerations of its governing body. It also called to respond to the humanitarian needs of civilians, most of which remain acute after the burden of living under prolonged siege.
