Roundup: New areas in Syria could become besieged amid rise in violence

While many civilians in Syria have received life-saving assistance this year, some areas are in danger of becoming besieged in light of ongoing fighting between warring sides, Senior Advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Jan Egeland, said Wednesday.

"The horrific fighting and bombardment in recent days, especially around Aleppo, is creating endless suffering in new areas and no access for humanitarians," he explained following the weekly humanitarian task force meeting at Geneva's UN headquarters.

"The diplomats sitting in the International Syria Support Group are faced with the following dilemma: they seem to have new possible besieged areas on our watch," he added.

The UN has been working with a list of 18 besieged areas. To date, two thirds of these areas have received humanitarian aid. Over 40 percent of the populations of all besieged areas were reached last month, up from only five percent in 2015.

Altogether, some 778,000 people living in hard-to-reach and besieged areas have been reached by cross-sectoral humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the year.

Despite this significant achievement, the efforts to reach an additional 905,000 people continue to be hampered by obstacles.

He also indicated the priority now was to put an end to fighting which is preventing aid convoys and staff from fully operating, as well as further jeopardizing the fragile political peace process.

The diplomat warned that if the situation didn't improve soon, eastern Aleppo could become another besieged area.

"Besiegement is worse in Syria than in any other place on earth. It has been going on now for years, and we are now in danger of creating new besieged areas. We cannot allow that to happen," he concluded. Endit