UN Chief Deeply Concerned About Atrocities in Aleppo
- Tuesday, 13 December 2016 14:57
NCRI - Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, has expressed his surprise and shock about the huge number of civilians that have been subjected to great atrocities in the city of Aleppo in Syria.
His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said on Monday: “While stressing that the United Nations is not able to independently verify these reports, the secretary-general is conveying his grave concern to the relevant parties.”
It has been reported that Ban Ki-moon has asked his envoy Staffan de Mistura to look into these reports.
Dujarric highlighted the role of the United Nations, saying: “The United Nations underlines the obligation of all parties on the ground to protect civilians and abide by international humanitarian and human rights law.”
Speaking about who is responsible for the recent atrocities, Dujarric said: “This is particularly the responsibility of the Syrian government and its allies.” He added that Russia and Iran (regime) need to accept responsibility for their role.
Syria has said that the military operations in place to fight the remnants of resistance by the opposition’s fighters in Aleppo was nearing the end.
It was reported by the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights that around 10,000 Syrians have left areas occupied by rebels (mostly territory held by the government).
It was reported by the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights that around 10,000 Syrians have left areas occupied by rebels (mostly territory held by the government).
The United Nations also recently reported that hundreds of men are missing after escaping from Aleppo.
If Aleppo falls it will be the worst rebel defeat since the start of the country’s conflict in 2011. This would leave Syria’s five major cities controlled by the government.
Since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011 there have been more than 300,000 deaths. Furthermore, around half of the country’s population has been displaced and millions have fled to other countries.
The United States has supported rebel forces fighting against the Syrian regime, but Russia has supported President Assad with air strikes.
