Syrian civilians not using humanitarian corridor out of Eastern Ghouta

World Today

Thousands of civilians remain trapped in Eastern Ghouta, Syria without humanitarian aid and no way out.

Syrian army soldiers removed barricades on the main road, clearing the way for civilians to escape the rebel enclave.

Along with the proposed five-hour daily pause in fighting, Russian and Syrian generals are hoping to convince civilians to leave.

CGTN’s Alaa Ebrahim reports.

This would be a prelude for a final combat offensive to push the rebels out.

But the plan has not worked so far. After the corridor opened on Tuesday, no civilians crossed over.

Syrian officers said their efforts to help people escape the fighting will take time.

Crossing a frontline isn’t easy, especially for families with children.

They will be travelling through areas that were scenes to some of war’s most violent battles.

Syrian army officers said they will keep the corridor open for upcoming days, but not forever.

Reminders of the atrocities that took place here are easy to find. Soldiers said they can smell chemical weapons before humans.

Both the government and the opposition accuse each other of using toxic agents.

So the waiting continues for the nearly 400,000 civilians in the besieged enclave.


Daveed Gartenstein-Ross discusses failing Syrian ceasefire in E. Ghouta

The UN Security Council said an Eastern Ghouta ceasefire, unanimously passed by all Security Council members, is not working. More strikes and casualties have been reported in the Syrian city, while thousands of civilians remained trapped without humanitarian aid and with no way out. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discusses with CGTN’s Mike Walter.