  UN aid convoy expected to leave for besieged Syrian town January 11, 2016 - 09:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An aid convoy is expected to leave for Madaya, a Syrian town under government siege, where people are reported to have been starving to death. "We are pretty confident," UN refugee agency spokesperson Melissa Fleming told the BBC. A convoy which had been due to reach the rebel-held town on Sunday, Jan 10, was delayed by last-minute hitches. Some 40,000 people are in Madaya, near Lebanon's border, with residents said to be eating pets and grass to survive. "I have just got confirmation that our humanitarian convoy will leave tomorrow (Monday) morning," Fleming said."This is typical that it takes a while - the administrative hurdles are constant," she added. Meanwhile, Brice de la Vigne from the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) medical charity described the situation in the town as "quite horrific".De la Vigne, whose organisation has been in contact with doctors inside Madaya, told the BBC that more than 250 people there had "acute malnutrition". He added that "10 them need immediate medical evacuation" or they would die. The World Food Programme (WFP) earlier had hoped to take a first shipment of food and medicine to Madaya. It was not clear what caused the delay but the BBC says negotiating access across battlefronts in a siege situation has always been a tricky business.It involves agreement at the top political level on both sides of the conflict, as well as individual fighters on the ground. A similar operation for two government-held villages in the north - Kefraya and Foah - has also been discussed. Blockades have been a feature of Syria's civil war but the plight of Madaya has drawn international attention, partly due to images emerging of severely malnourished residents. Up to 4.5 million people in Syria live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged locations who do not have access to life-saving aid. Madaya has been besieged since early July by government forces and their allies in Lebanon's Shia Islamist Hezbollah movement. The situation in Foah and Kefraya, under siege from rebels, is also reported to be worsening, with an estimated 30,000 people trapped.  Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
