Civilians in Madaya, a rebel-held town in Syria, finally saw the arrival of four trucks carrying relief aids on Monday.
The inter-agency humanitarian aid is part of a deal concluded recently between the government and rebels to alleviate the suffering of thousands of starved people.
Madaya, sitting in north of the capital Damascus, is among the three besieged towns where the trucks must simultaneously enter according to the deal. Madaya is held by rebels and besieged by government forces, while the other two Kafraya and Foa, two adjacent Shiite towns loyal to the government are surrounded by rebels in northern Syria.
According to the deal, nearly 100 families evacuated on Monday night from Madaya to government-held areas, after the trucks carrying relief materials arrived.
Some residents were desperately waiting to leave due to the lack of materials and soaring prices.
“I must leave here, as I have to foster my children, and see the doctor as I am weak. With no money to buy food, I cannot afford even a kilogram of rice worth 100,000 (roughly 304 US Dollars). My husband is too old to walk, and I need to care for the children, so I have no choice but to leave,” said Dalal Al-Halbouni, a local resident.
As many as 7,800 food parcels are entering Madaya, where 40,000 people are besieged by Syrian government forces, and almost 4,000 parcels are entering Kafraya and Foa, where 20,000 people are trapped by the rebels, according to staffer of the United Nations (UN).
“There are 40 relief aid trucks following. We will not leave until all the aids arrive, either food, medicines or blankets, which the civilians are in dire need of in a chilly season,” said Yacoub El Hillo, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria. (CCTV/Reuters)
