Rescue squads have not yet gained access to six areas besieged by government forces in Syria, UN Special Adviser Jan Egeland says.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on February 27, 536 trucks with emergency aid have reached 238,000 people who have been cut off from aid deliveries for more than of one year.
Russia and the USA, who negotiated the ceasefire agreement, have worked tirelessly in recent weeks to ensure emergency access in the war-torn country, Egeland told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday.
But emergency crews still lacks access to six areas under siege by the regime, and one area under siege by the extremist group IS .
The reason is a lack of security clearance from the government and armed opposition groups, said Egeland.
– People are starving in the besieged areas and other areas that are difficult to reach, while aid workers are ready with deliveries that could have reached them, Egeland, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and advisor to UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, says.
UN hopes to reach 870,000 people with the emergency aid by the end of April, Yacoub al-Hillo, UN humanitarian chief for Syria, said.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
