ICRC Appeals for 20 Million Euros for Syria
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday to step up its aid to Syria, where thousands have died in a 14-month bloody uprising against the regime.
The group, which has been working alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to bring humanitarian relief to about 1.5 million people affected by the bloodshed, said it needed the extra $27 million to expand its efforts.
It added that it would visit detainees at a second Syrian prison later this month.
The ICRC's priority is to improve living conditions and restore public services while providing monthly food parcels for about 100,000 people in particular need, President Jakob Kellenberger said.
"Tens of thousands of men, women and children are still displaced," said Kellenberger.
"We are striving to bring them the help they urgently need by stepping up our emergency humanitarian response."
Humanitarian workers have been granted access to visit Aleppo prison from May 14 to 23 and the ICRC said it was able to secure a "humanitarian pause" in the violence two weeks ago in Douma, near Damascus, for two consecutive days.
"Whenever we feel that there's an urgent need for humanitarian work and we cannot do it because of the intensity of the fighting we will ask for a humanitarian pause," said Kellenberger.
"We now have the procedure," said the president, who added that requests were addressed to the foreign ministry.
A U.N.-backed truce that went into effect in Syria on April 12 has failed to take hold fully and both regime forces and rebels have been accused of violating the ceasefire.
"I really hope that the U.N. observers will deploy rapidly, not only in Damascus but in other places," said Kellenberger.
Source: Agence France Presse
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