The UN humanitarian coordinator in Syria on Wednesday condemned the "tragic" living conditions of thousands of civilians who have fled a regime assault on the shrinking rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta. "If I was a citizen, I would not accept to stay in Adra for five minutes, with this tragic situation," Ali al-Zaatari told AFP, referring to a regime-held area to which thousands of civilians have fled.
Tens of thousands of civilians have streamed out of the enclave outside Damascus in less than a week. Russia-backed regime forces have retaken most of the former opposition bastion since February 18, slicing remaining rebel-held territory into three separate pockets.
The displaced have gathered in regime-controlled territory outside the enclave, including in Adra to its north. In one makeshift shelter, hundreds of people have been assembled on thin bedding under a tarpaulin sheet, with donated blankets piled beside them.
Dozens of people - including women and children - queue outside limited bathroom facilities. "People may have escaped fighting, fear and insecurity but they find themselves in a place without anywhere to wash themselves. This should not be," Zaatari added.
Since March 15, more than 70,000 people have fled Eastern Ghouta after weeks of bombardment, says the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "This crisis must be managed in a different way and the solution is to speed up people's return home," Zaatari said.
"The solution is to empty these shelters of inhabitants, as soon as possible, and to keep residents in Eastern Ghouta," Zaatari said, if security conditions allow.
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