Al-Waer Neighborhood of Homs between two Jaws

More than 100.000 persons are still inside the quarter besieged by the Syrian government forces. Even when few quantities of stuff are allowed access, they would fall into the hands of the few militants and war lords controlling the neighborhood, leaving the people eager to get some of them at increasingly high prices.

The civilian inhabitants  were rejoiced to hear promises that a UN humanitarian convoy was to reach them on May 5, 2016, after being coordinated with the Syrian authorities in Homs Governorate. For unknown and surprising reasons, the convoy was “delayed until further notice”, however, pushing the people back once more to their hunger and feelings of despair and helplessness.

The majority of shops inside the neighborhood are closed since a long time now. They lack any material to sell, including mainly milk and its derivatives, which are necessary for babies and children. Only the militants and their affiliates inside monopolize some food and other materials to be totally free in selling and distributing them at higher prices, benefiting from the people’s desperate needs. Mothers of new born babies are incapable of feeding them. The inhabitants as a whole suffer now from malnutrition, with a looming starvation.

Paradoxically, Al-Waer is one of the neighborhoods in Homs that are covered by the “cessation of hostilities” agreement and its arrangements. Some of these arrangements were agreed upon, regarding Al-Wear in late 2015, including lifting the siege and allowing humanitarian access. It’s quite obvious, however, that the beneficiaries of the closure and its impacts, from all sides of the conflict, are not pleased with these arrangements. They crippled the agreement, causing the aggravation of the humanitarian disaster suffered by the dying inhabitants inside. This is becoming even worse and life-threating with the shells hitting the area, every now and then.