The U.N. humanitarian adviser for Syria called on world powers on Thursday to help arrange the evacuation of 500 people, including 167 children, from the besieged Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, saying it has become a “humanitarian emergency”, Reuters reported. 

Jan Egeland said nine people had died in the past few weeks while awaiting permission from the Syrian government for the sick and wounded to be evacuated from the rebel-held area to hospitals less than an hour drive from the capital.

Russia and Iran, as well as the United States and France had pledged to help during the weekly humanitarian meeting, he said.

“We’re ready, we’re willing to go, we can handle the security. We have all of the tools available, we need a green light,” he said.

“Eastern Ghouta, next door to Damascus, is the eye of the hurricane, it is the epicenter of this conflict. At the moment there are 400,000 people there,” Egeland said.

In the past two months, U.N. convoys have delivered supplies to 68,000 of the 400,000 trapped civilians, he said. They included 7,000 reached in a convoy during the Russian-brokered ceasefire this week.

“Our not being able to reach eastern Ghouta for many months in most of areas has now led to an undoubtedly catastrophic situation,” Egeland said.

Acute malnutrition rates among children there is nearly 12 percent, above the 10 percent emergency threshold, and a five- or six-fold increase since January, he added.

“In general there is no de-escalation zone, there is only escalation in this de-escalation zone,” Egeland said.

“That has ended in eastern Ghouta except for (a pause of) two days only, there has been a massive loss of civilian life, hundreds have been wounded.”

”We need sustained calm to be able to feed 400,000 people who now beyond doubt are in a humanitarian emergency“,” he added.

“It is my clear understanding from all members of the Security Council that none wants a break of the pipeline,” he said.

Negotiators for Syria’s combatants arrived at a U.N. complex for peace talks on Thursday amid expectations the rival teams will be encouraged to hold face-to-face discussions, in what would be a small breakthrough in efforts to end the six-year war.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!