Aleppo humanitarian corridors not ‘credible response’

Eastern neighbourhoods have been under total siege for weeks now, with Russia-backed government forces encircling the city and seizing the only remaining supply route.

The report further noted that tens of families went out through the corridors set up by army forces for the safe departure of the civilians trapped by terrorist groups in Aleppo’s eastern districts.

Russian Federation and the Syrian government will open humanitarian corridors in Syria’s embattled city of Aleppo and offer a way out for opposition fighters wanting to lay down their arms.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring body based in the United Kingdom, confirmed that some people had left east Aleppo through a safe corridor but gave no figures.

Aleppo-based opposition activist Baraa al-Halaby denied reports that civilians and fighters have left to government-held parts of the city.

Sana says those who have left have been taken to temporary shelters.

Soldiers pointed their rifles as the rebel fighters, covering their faces, surrendered to government forces.

More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria’s war which erupted in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests before becoming a complex conflict involving many groups, including jihadists.

He said the United Nations was “in principle and in practice in favour of humanitarian corridors under the right circumstances” but said Russian Federation needed to provide more information on how the system would work.

The women left the area through the Bustan al-Qaser crossing into government-controlled areas, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The humanitarian situation is more and more desperate and it’s hard to find food”, he added.

Due to the lack of aid, global agencies have warned that the residents risk starvation.

We are still waiting for more information, Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, told journalists in Geneva, referring to Russias proposal to establish several so-called exit corridors that would allow for the distribution of food, as well as provide an opportunity for civilians to flee Aleppo and wider humanitarian challenges throughout the war-torn country.

“Our suggestion to Russian Federation is to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us”, he said.

Observatory’s chief Rami Adurrahman says another 13 people were killed in the strikes but that he couldn’t say if they were IS fighters or civilians.

An air strike has hit a maternity hospital supported by Save the Children in north-western Syria, killing two people and wounding three others.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported on Saturday that among those evacuating the eastern areas of Aleppo were armed militants who handed over their weapons and surrendered to authorities.

“Be clear – these “corridors” are not for getting aid in, but driving people out”, Basma Kodmani, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Commission, said Friday.

He said that if the United Nations allows residents to travel safely to other opposition held-areas, this could reassure people that it is safe to leave and would reduce the number of people killed in the siege or from airstrikes.

An AFP correspondent in east Aleppo said streets were empty on Friday morning, with residents holed up indoors.