Russia’s call for a five-hour daily humanitarian pause in the beseiged Syrian neighbourhood of Eastern Ghouta has failed to stop the bombing. A ceasefire plan designed to allow civilians to evacuate came into effect yesterday but the UN says that none of the 1,000 or so wounded managed to get out.
After a brief lull, residents say government planes resumed their air strikes on the suburb near Damascus.
Moscow meanwhile has accused the rebels of breaking the truce.
Opposition fighter Osama al-Amri told RFI the supposed pause in fighting was “laughable” and that regime aircraft renewed their missions almost as soon as the announcement of the ceasfire was made.
“The main thing is that there is no trust from the civilians down in Ghouta right now,” reported RFI Cairo correspondent Mat Nashed, who had been contacting Eastern Ghouta residents.
“They have no trust in the ceasefire or the countries that brokered it, particularly Russia or the regime. In their minds, they’ve been under siege for about five years and they’ve been bombed indiscriminately for that entire time, so for them it’s not surprising that the alleged ceasefire was violated practically as soon as it was announced.”