Clashes break out as Aleppo truce ends without evacuations

Humanitarian declared by Russia on Thursday and extended until Saturday failed to get civilians or fighters to leave rebel-held east of the Syrian city.

Stuffed toys are piled up at the gates of Downing street during a demonstration in London on October 22, 2016, calling for British government intervention in the bombing of Aleppo by Russian and SyriaShow more

ALEPPO // Heavy clashes between regime and rebel forces erupted in several areas of Aleppo city on Saturday evening after a unilateral ceasefire announced by government ally Russia expired.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fierce fighting in several areas along the front line dividing the city, as well as exchanges of artillery fire.

The UN said it had been unable to carry out evacuations of wounded civilians during the ceasefire.

Neither residents nor rebels in the opposition-held part of the city heeded calls from the Syrian army and Moscow to leave, after weeks of devastating bombardment and a three-month government siege.

Moscow had announced a temporary halt in the campaign to recapture the divided city from Thursday, and extended it twice by 24 hours.

The Syrian army opened eight corridors for evacuations, but just a handful of people crossed through a single passage. The others remained deserted.

“Members of popular civil committees from regime districts entered the eastern neighbourhoods to try to evacuate the injured but failed,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Observatory.

The United Nations had hoped to use the ceasefire to evacuate seriously wounded people, and possibly deliver aid. But a UN official said on Saturday that the requisite security guarantees had not been received.

“You have various parties to the conflict and those with influence and they all have to be on the same page on this and they are not,” said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian office.

The UN had drawn up a four-day plan that would start with two days of medical evacuations to west Aleppo, rebel-held Idlib province, and Turkey, and continue with more evacuations as well as aid deliveries.

No aid has entered Aleppo since July 7 and the UN has warned that food rations will run out by the end of the month.

The UN had asked Moscow to consider extending the pause until Monday evening, but received no word back as the 1600 GMT deadline passed.

Moscow accused rebel forces of preventing civilians from leaving.

“The terrorists are using the ceasefire in their interests,” said senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi. “We are seeing them massing around Aleppo and preparing for another breakthrough into the city’s western neighbourhoods.”

Moscow accuses rebels of preventing civilians from leaving.

“The terrorists are using the ceasefire in their interests,” said senior Russian military official Sergei Rudskoi.

“We are seeing them massing around Aleppo and preparing for another breakthrough into the city’s western neighbourhoods.”

The Syrian Observatory said both sides appeared to be reinforcing their positions in preparation for renewed fighting if the truce ended, raising fears of a bigger military if the ceasefire fails.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Saturday called on the UN Security Council to condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and impose sanctions on those responsible, after UN experts found the Syrian army and ISIL had both used them.

“These acts are inhuman and unacceptable,” he said. “France will not accept that the use of chemical weapons in Syria, which has now been proven beyond doubt ... should remain unpunished.”

Russia entered the Syrian war in support of president Bashar Al Assad last September. In an interview which aired on Saturday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the intervention was meant to “liberate” Syria and keep Assad in power.

“Either Assad is in Damascus, or Al-Nusra is,” he said, referring to former Al-Qaeda affiliate the Fateh Al-Sham Front. “There is no third option here.”

* Agence France Presse