The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
“This Russian truce is a farce. Russia is killing us and bombing us every day,” said Samer al-Buaidhani, a 25-year-old resident of Douma, which is the main town in Eastern Ghouta.
“I don’t believe it’s safe for me or my family to leave by this system,” he told AFP, when asked about the Russian pledge to open humanitarian corridors.
A statement by Russia’s Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria said the decision to enforce a “humanitarian pause” was made jointly with Damascus.
“The Syrian government forces will cease combat actions against terrorists during this pause,” it said, adding however that the measure was effective only in certain areas of Eastern Ghouta.
“The required number of buses and ambulance cars has been prepared” at a checkpoint to evacuate the sick and wounded, said the statement by the centre, a Russian body monitoring humanitarian efforts and peace initiatives in Syria.
According to the United Nations more than 700 people need urgent medical evacuation from Eastern Ghouta.
Syrian state television aired live footage of the checkpoint area but no civilians could be seen boarding the waiting buses.
In Hammuriyeh, another town in the sprawling semi-rural enclave, Mohammed Abdullah said the pause left civilians with a choice between two evils.
“The truce is not in the people’s interest, we have two options: death or displacement,” said the 30-year-old.
“The campaign we were targeted with was an extermination campaign, not a simple bombardment. What we want is a full and permanent ceasefire for all of Ghouta,” he said.
The scenario put in place by the regime and its Russian ally was reminiscent of the deal that saw civilians bused out of the northern city of Aleppo in late 2016.
