BEIRUT // The rebel leadership in eastern Aleppo seemed more open to negotiating with the Syrian government on Wednesday after opposition fighters abandoned the labyrinthine Old City overnight.
The fall of the Old City, the ancient and cultural heart of what was Syria’s biggest city before the war, was heralded by government supporters as a sign that Aleppo’s complete capture was imminent after more than four years of fighting. Videos posted on social media showed residents of the city’s government-held districts out on the streets in the middle of the night, celebrating the rebels’ withdrawal. “God, Syria, Bashar [Al Assad] and nothing else,” they shouted, as automatic gunfire rang out.
The rebels were initially expected to possibly make a stand in the Old City – a Unesco World Heritage Site with narrow, twisting alleys that made the district more easily defendable than other neighbourhoods. But with the government’s rapid advance, the rebels in the Old City found themselves about to be cut off and completely surrounded by government forces.
Following the latest gains by the government, the rebels’ Aleppo leadership council appeared more willing to negotiate with president Bashar Al Assad and his allies on Wednesday – on the condition that certain provisions were first made.
The council called for an immediate five-day ceasefire, the evacuation of 500 wounded who require emergency treatment and safe passage for civilians to rebel-held areas in Aleppo province’s northern countryside.
“Once the humanitarian situation has been alleviated in Aleppo city, the parties concerned can negotiate the future of the city,” said the council. The rebels warned that civilians remaining in eastern Aleppo would be “in great danger” if their fighters quit the city and allowed government forces to enter.
It remains to be seen how Damascus and its closest ally, Russia, will respond to the rebels’ latest offer. Syrian government troops and allied forces have been unstoppable in their latest push as rebel lines have continued to collapse. Humanitarian appeals have so far failed to convince Russia or Syria to declare a ceasefire, with pro-government forces eager to push forward on their offensive without pause.
Russia and the US are in talks about a rebel withdrawal from the city, but so far opposition forces have vowed to stay put. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that those rebels who refuse to leave eastern Aleppo “will be eliminated”.
US secretary of state John Kerry met with Mr Lavrov in the German city of Hamburg on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Aleppo.
It comes after Russia and China vetoed a United Nations security council resolution on Monday calling for a week-long ceasefire in Aleppo. Both Moscow and Damascus have demanded the rebels agree to completely withdraw from the city before any ceasefire can be implemented.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada echoed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo to provide humanitarian relief for those still trapped in the city’s east. They condemned Syria and Russia for their obstruction of humanitarian aid and attacks on civilians, adding that the two countries appeared unwilling to pursue a political resolution despite their assurances to the contrary.
A quarter of a million civilians were believed to be trapped in the rebels’ besieged eastern Aleppo stronghold when the government’s offensive began three weeks ago.
On Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said 80,000 civilians had now fled eastern Aleppo to territory held by government and Kurdish forces. But many remain trapped in the shrinking rebel enclave, fleeing alongside retreating rebel fighters as their neighbourhoods are captured. Under siege for three months now, food, medicine and fuel are increasingly scarce for those who remain behind.
But despite being outnumbered and on the back foot as they struggle to counter the government advance, rebel forces remain hesitant of trusting the government to stand by the terms of any deal. Likewise, many civilians remaining in eastern Aleppo are afraid of being arrested or forcibly conscripted if they cross government lines.
jwood@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse