UN aid convoys enter Syria's rebel-held Eastern Ghouta

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As many as 46 truckloads of relief aid entered the rebel-held Douma district in the Eastern Ghouta countryside east of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday.

It was the first aid shipment to reach that hotspot area since the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to achieve a 30-day humanitarian ceasefire in Syria on February 24.

It's also the first shipment to enter that area since a Russian-backed humanitarian pause went into force seven days ago.

The truckloads of aid presented by the UN, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) entered the Douma district through a humanitarian corridor in the Wafidin area northeast of Damascus.

Syrian soldiers secure Syrian Arab Red Crescent trucks carrying aid at the entrance of Wafideen camp in Damascus, Syria, March 5, 2018. /Reuters Photo‍

The long-awaited shipment entered a day after the UN announced it was sending the shipment to help meet some of the needs of the civilians in that rebel-held area.

During the process, Ali al-Zatari, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Syria, said he was spearheading the convoy into Douma to supervise the delivery process.

"The humanitarian convoy constitutes of medial and food items presented by the UN and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross. It constitutes of 46 truckloads of aid that will be distributed in Douma district," he said.

The UN official, however, said that the authorities in Syria have demanded to decrease this shipment, which was supposed to meet the demands of 70,000 people.

"This convoy is not enough as the parcels have been decreased from meeting the demands of 70,000 people to 27,500 people this is why we hope to bring in aid convoys again on Thursday to support the needs of civilians in Douma and other areas in Eastern Ghouta," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria said the rebels in Eastern Ghouta pledged to allow civilians to leave that area in exchange for the entry of aid, but no civilians have left yet, particularly that the Russian-backed partial daily humanitarian pause entered its second week with only two children and a Pakistani couple leaving Eastern Ghouta.

The Syrian government and its Russian allies blamed the rebels of hindering the efforts to allow civilians out or let in humanitarian aid.

Eastern Ghouta has grabbed international attention recently as the military showdown between the rebels and the Syrian government forces started to gain momentum on February 18.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2401 on February 24, which requires all parties in Syria to immediately cease clashes and provides a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days across Syria.

Two days later, the Russians demanded a daily humanitarian pause for five hours in Eastern Ghouta specifically.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency