UN Syria envoy tells Russia: Leave Aleppo corridors ‘to us’

Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, on Thursday announced the opening of humanitarian passages for civilians and surrendering fighters seeking to exit the city’s rebel-held eastern neighbourhoods.

He described an “unworkable solution” the regime declaration about setting up “humanitarian passageways” to evacuate the city eastern sector of the residents.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said the three corridors for civilians and unarmed fighters would have medical posts and food handouts.

A man holds one of the leaflets dropped by the Syrian army over opposition-held Aleppo districts asking residents to cooperate with the military and calling on fighters to surrender, July 28, 2016. Neighborhoods in this sector have been subjected to intensive bombardment.

The U.N. envoy for Syria is offering a “suggestion” to Russian Federation over its proposal to set up humanitarian corridors around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, advising Moscow leave the job to the United Nations.

“The clock is ticking”, Staffan de Mistura said as he called on Russian Federation to leave the creation of any humanitarian corridors around Aleppo to the United Nations and its partners.

“How do you expect people to walk through a corridor – thousands of them – while there is shelling, bombing, fighting?” he added. Observatory chief Rami Adurrahman said another 13 people were killed in the strikes but that he could not say if they were IS fighters or civilians. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said they were interested in this approach, warning that an estimated 250,000 people were still trapped in the east of Aleppo.

Residents have reported food shortages and spiralling prices in rebel districts since regime forces cut off the opposition’s main supply route into the northern city.

“If need be, humanitarian corridors for peaceful convoys will be opened not only from Aleppo but also into that city”.

“International humanitarian law demands that aid must be sent urgently”.

Analysts said losing Aleppo would be a major blow for the rebels and a possible turning point in Syria’s five-year-old conflict.

More than a quarter of a million people have died and millions have been displaced since March 2011, when Syria’s conflict erupted.

Also on Friday, in the neighboring northern province of Idlib, the charity Save the Children said a maternity hospital it supports in the opposition-held area had been bombed, with casualties reported.

The Observatory said a jihadist from Al-Nusra Front, which has changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, was killed in the raid in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim.