Syria: Armed Conflict

(asked on 16th December 2016) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of evacuation routes for civilians leaving eastern Aleppo.


Answered by
Tobias Ellwood Portrait
Tobias Ellwood
This question was answered on 22nd December 2016

The regime has only opened one evacuation route through the Ramouseh corridor in regime controlled south west Aleppo and has restricted the involvement of impartial humanitarian actors in the process. We are extremely concerned at the way the regime and its backers have been conducting themselves in the areas where it has retaken control. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported the summary execution of 82 people, including women and children; there have also been reports of people disappearing as they reach regime held areas; and of young men being forced to join the Syrian army. That is why we supported UN Security Council Resolution 2328 which was passed on 19 December. It demands full access for the UN across Syria and in particular requests the UN to monitor evacuations from eastern Aleppo. We will maintain pressure for this resolution to be implemented and for UN monitors to have completely unfettered access.

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