The United Nations yesterday called for a humanitarian truce in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and expressed its fears for the fate of civilians under siege. A member of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces Hisham Marwa said that this is “the least that the United Nations can do to stop the gross violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Marwa told Asharq Al-Awsat that “The United Nations must apply the relevant UN resolutions, including resolution 2254 to prevent the siege of Aleppo and other Syrian cities. It must also force the regime to stop the bombing and deliver aid to civilians.” He also said that “the inaction of the international community, the United Nations and the international Syria Support Group (ISSG) with regards to applying those decisions has resulted in the regime “using this as an opportunity to pressurise and commit war crimes in Syria.

Marwa, the former deputy head of the Syrian National Coalition, said that the UN call for a truce “is the least that it can do to stop the bloodbath in Syria”. However, he also expressed doubts that the regime would abide by the truce if it was approved. He pointed out that the solution sought by the opposition “is a political solution, not a military one. But the siege of Aleppo and the inaction of the international community has pushed the opposition to defend itself with the means available to it in order to lift the siege”.

The United Nations yesterday demanded a humanitarian truce in the Syrian city of Aleppo at a time when the regime and opposition factions are mobilising in order to continue fighting that started last week, a few days after the recent success in lifting the siege on neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo. Recent developments in Aleppo have raised fears about the fate of 1.5 million people in the city.