Government siege of Syria’s Aleppo fuels humanitarian catastrophe
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – Ramzi Muhammad, a resident of Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo city, said they run out of bread due to the siege imposed by the Fourth Division of the Syrian government forces on the neighborhood few days ago.
For the tenth day in a row, the Fourth Armored Division of the government forces has been denying the entry of food staples to the neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo city which is run by a civil administration.
The western neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, which are run by a civil administration, are separated from the other neighborhoods in Aleppo by three government security checkpoints; Ashrafiyeh, Awared, and Maghsalat al-Jazira.
Muhammad, the breadwinner of six people, saw that the prices of basic commodities such as edible oil and sugar are at record rates during the month of Ramadan, “The bread crisis is an additional burden on us,” he added.
The price of one liter of cooking oil in the local markets in Aleppo has jumped nearly 15,000 SYP ($4).
“The residents dispensed with many materials for their livelihood due to the high prices, such as meat and vegetables, but they depend mainly on bread,” Muhammad told North Press.
“Bread is a red line, all parties must resolve their differences away from our livelihood,” he concluded.
On Saturday morning, the residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods protested against the siege imposed on them by the government forces.
Adar Hussein, official at the Economic Corporation of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, said that for two months they have been suffering from an intermittent siege on the part of the Syrian government.
“Five days ago, the seven bakeries in Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood stopped completely, as all flour warehouses were completely emptied,” Hussein said.
Hussein considered that the lack of bread is a humanitarian catastrophe, as more than 25,000 families, or approximately 200,000 people, live in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, who need 25 tons of flour daily, equivalent to 750 tons of flour per month.
Hussein called on international and humanitarian organizations to intervene quickly and lift the siege on the two neighborhoods, to re-operate the bakeries and secure bread for the residents.
In response to the Syrian government’s practices in the two neighborhoods, the AANES prevented the entry of flour and diesel oil into al-Ba’ath bakery in the city of Qamishli, in addition to Hasakah bakery in the Mahatta neighborhood and Sheto and Jazira bakeries in the city center, according to local sources.
The AANES has yet to release a statement in this regard. it has not denied nor confirmed the information.