UN warns of ‘looming calamity’ in 4 towns

DAMASCUS — The top UN official in Damascus has warned of a “looming humanitarian catastrophe” in four besieged towns in Syria, calling for immediate access to deliver aid to some 60,000 residents.

In a statement late on Monday, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, Ali Al Za’atari, warned of dire conditions in the towns of Zabadani, Madaya, Fua and Kafraya.

Zabadani and Madaya, in Damascus province, are besieged by government troops and their allies, while Fua and Kafraya are under siege by the rebels.

“Sixty thousand innocent people are trapped there in a cycle of daily violence and deprivation, where malnutrition and lack of proper medical care prevail,” the statement said.

“The situation is a looming humanitarian catastrophe. The principle of free access to people in need must be implemented now and without repeated requests,” it added.

Za’atari said the situation was complicated by the “tit-for-tat arrangement” between the towns, whereby no aid can be provided to Madaya and Zabadani without similar access to Fua and Kafraya, and vice versa.

The linkage “makes humanitarian access prone to painstaking negotiations that are not based on humanitarian principles,” he said. —