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There are apocalyptic scenes in the streets of Syria’s Aleppo. As the bombs rain down on the besieged city, it causes horrible sufferings everywhere. More than 250 civilians have been killed in the government’s assault on east Aleppo since November 15, including nearly 30 children. And up to 20,000 people have fled the regime offensive in the past 72 hours.
The UN has condemned the ‘descent into hell’ being endured by civilians. And according to Red Cross estimates nearly 20,000 people have fled a Syrian government offensive on the city in three days.
And so, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York on the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo.
The careful and long-planned operations by the Syrian army have radically changed the situation over the past 24 hours. Syria’s rebels lost all of the northern neighborhoods of their stronghold in east Aleppo. And Assad army has made significant advances in its offensive to recapture the entire city.
The loss of their east Aleppo stronghold would be the worst defeat for rebels since Syria’s conflict erupted more than five years ago. The part of the war-scarred city has been under government siege for more than four months, with international aid stocks exhausted and food supplies running low. There are no working hospitals left.
This has inflicted unprecedented sufferings on the civilians. The fighting has prompted an exodus of terrified civilians, many fleeing empty-handed into remaining rebel-held territory, or crossing into government-controlled west Aleppo or Kurdish districts.
But there are chances that regime would subject them to brutal torture for colluding with rebel fighters in fight against the government troops.
The rights group Amnesty International urged Syrian authorities to protect civilians in recaptured areas.
Given the Syrian government’s long and dark history of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances on a mass scale, it is even more crucial that civilians are protected in newly captured areas of Aleppo city.
But the situation is dire for nearly 275,000 civilians who are trapped in ‘horrific conditions.’
France has said that it cannot remain silent in the face of what could be one of the biggest massacres of civilian population since World War II.
East Aleppo has been under government siege for more than four months, with international aid stocks exhausted and food supplies running low.
The war is already its sixth year. And there are no sign that it is going to end any time soon given the complex nature of the conflict. Assad has fired every arrow in his quiver to defend his regime. The regime forces used chemical weapons against the civilians in 2014 and 2015. A joint investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found regime forces used toxic weapons. The international community must bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. There must be sanctions against Damascus for using chemical weapons. The Security Council needs to take its responsibility on this. It is crucial for the non-proliferation regime and for the credibility of the council.
Aleppo is already a Sarajevo, a black chapter in the history of mankind and of international politics. It is imperative that all parties to the conflict must put an end to the indiscriminate bombing and shelling and protect civilians and civilian infrastructures and enable life-saving humanitarian assistance, as
required under international humanitarian law.