Aleppo

Oxfam, toghether with the Syria INGO Regional Forum, continues to be appalled by obstructions to humanitarian assistance, lack of protections for civilians fleeing armed conflict and apparent violations of international humanitarian law in Aleppo, in Foah, in Kafrayya and in many other parts of Syria.

Oxfam - as part of a global coalition of 223 civil society organizations - urgently calls upon UN member states to step in and request an Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly to demand an end to all unlawful attacks in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria.

More than 1.5 million people in Aleppo have been without running water for five days, as battles rage around key water infrastructure and power to pumping stations is cut, leaving civilians at risk of water-borne diseases, Oxfam warned today. The international agency called for action to halt attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure as the Syrian-Russian offensive enters its third week.

In response to the proposed 48 hour ceasefire in Aleppo, Andy Baker, Oxfam's Syria Crisis Response manager said: “While the proposed ceasefire is welcome it must not be a one-off.  Regular, sustained pauses in the conflict are necessary to deal with the scale of the suffering, devastation and destruction in the city.”

More than 300,000 civilians in Aleppo and an estimated 60,000 in the Manbij area, Syria, are cut off from aid despite promises made to open full access to aid across the country six months ago.