More starvation deaths in Madaya amid wait for aid

“Madaya is now effectively an open-air prison for an estimated 20,000 people, including infants, children, and elderly, ” Doctors Without Borders Director of Operations Brice de le Vingne said in a statement by the organization last week”.

He said false information about starvation deaths in the Syrian town are aimed at “demonizing” Damascus and “torpedoing” peace negotiations due in the Swiss city of Geneva on January 25.

The aid was delivered by UNICEF, the World Food Program, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (a local Red Cross branch) and is expected to last 40,000 people about a month.

With reports from the United Nations that people were dying from starvation, the Syrian government has also agreed to allow convoys for Foua and Kefraya, two other cities similarly besieged by rebel forces.

The UN says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other essentials. He said five people died over the weekend, including a nine-year-old child.

He said there were “credible reports” of people starving to death during the months-long siege by pro-government forces.

“We granted asylum to Snowden”, he said referring to American whistleblower Edward Snowden.

People on the streets of Madaya cried out with relief as the first four trucks of aid crossed into the town late on Monday, news agency Reuters reported.

“Madaya is tragically far from being unique”, said O’Brien.

“Around 400 are in need of being evacuated for life-saving medical attention”, O’Brien told reporters on Monday, following a closed-door UN Security Council meeting.

Malik said people were so hungry that they “repeatedly mentioned that a kilo of rice would cost $300 (275 euros)”.

She said: “To relieve the suffering of these tens of thousands of people, there has to be regular access to these areas”.

Mr van Bohemen also responded to claims from Syrian officials that there was no starvation in Madaya and the crisis had been fabricated by “hostile governments” and media.

Speaking shortly after the delivery of aid, Syria’s ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, accused rebel groups of looting aid and Turkish authorities of obstructing deliveries.

More than 260,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations.

The aid arrived as France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called on Syria and Russian Federation to put an end to suffering in the besieged town.

“It’s important to remember that Madaya represents only 10% of those who are under siege and 1% of those who need aid in Syria”, he added.