Humanitarian Disaster in Madaya Requires Urgent International Intervention

Press Statement

Syrian Coalition

Media Office

January 7, 2016

In response to the deteriorating situation in Madaya due to the siege imposed by the Assad regime and Hezbollah militias, an official source in the Syrian Coalition said:

In light of the recent reports coming from medics and activists on the ground about the grave humanitarian situation in the town of Madaya in Rural Damascus, where Hezbollah militias and the Assad regime are blocking entry of humanitarian aid into the town, the Syrian Coalition

Urges the United Nations to designate the situation in Madaya, Zabadani and Muadamiyah, where more than 90,000 civilians are trapped, a humanitarian disaster requiring urgent international humanitarian intervention. Life-saving aid must be airdropped to the civilians trapped inside long as Assad regime and Hezbollah militias continue to block the entry of relief aid through land routes.

Calls on the UN Security Council to discuss the humanitarian situation in Madaya and other besieged towns as continued sieges violate the Council’s previous resolutions, including resolution 2254. The UN Security Council should assume its responsibility to save the lives of civilians, most importantly children and women.

Calls upon the Arab League to discuss the situation in Madaya and other besieged towns as a matter of urgency during its ministerial meeting on Sunday, January 10; take the necessary actions to put an end the siege; and condemn the siege as a crime.

Calls upon international human rights organizations and relief agencies to do more to help Syrian civilians besieged by the Assad regime and the Hezbollah militia by all possible means.

Considering the reports it has received earlier today about the situation in Madaya, the Syrian Coalition warns of a possible increase in the death toll among children and the elderly as a result of the scarcity of food, infant formula, and medicine needed to treat epidemics and diseases resulting from the blockade. The Syrian Coalition urges the international community, along with friends of the Syrian people, to shoulder their responsibilities towards the Syrian people.