Roundup: Top UN official "gravely alarmed" by developments in Syrian city of Aleppo

The UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Stephen O'Brien, is "gravely alarmed by the disturbing developments" in the eastern part of Aleppo City in Syria, where civilian, humanitarian and commercial movements have been effectively cut off, a UN spokesman told reporters here Thursday.

The situation there got worse following the closure of Castello Road, the last remaining access route in and out of this area, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

O'Brien, also the UN emergency relief coordinator, called on all parties to the conflict to immediately enable unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to the millions of people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas across Syria, Haq said.

"He urges them to lift all sieges, to respect the safety of medical and humanitarian workers, and to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure," Haq said.

Meanwhile, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people are at risk of besiegement, and hospitals and other civilian infrastructure have also been affected by the fighting, he said.

"While the United Nations and our partners still have some stocks to respond to humanitarian needs, food in east Aleppo is expected to run out by the middle of next month," he said.

"Our highest priority is to re-establish access to eastern Aleppo city, through both cross-line convoys and cross-border operations from Turkey, so that we can replenish critical life-saving assistance like food, medical supplies and fuel, and assure the continuation of basic services," Haq said.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that this week in Syria, more than 20 children were reportedly killed in air strikes in Manbij and a 12-year-old boy was brutally murdered on-camera in Aleppo.

The UN agency highlighted the parties' shared responsibility to respect international humanitarian laws that protect children in war.

UNICEF estimates that 35,000 children are trapped in and around Manbij with nowhere safe to go, Haq said.

In the past six weeks and as violence has intensified, more than 2,300 people were reportedly killed in the area, among them dozens of children, he said.

UNICEF "deplores all forms of violence and urges all parties to the conflict in Syria to make every effort to avoid the loss of civilian lives," Haq said.

"Absolutely nothing justifies attacks on children," said Hanna Singer, UNICEF representative in Syria, in a statement issued on Wednesday. "No matter where they are or under whose control they live."

According to information received by the UN agency, families in the al-Tukhar village near Manbij, some 80 kilometres to the east of Aleppo, were preparing to flee when the air strikes hit.

In her statement, the UNICEF representative also underscored that such horrific incidents are a reminder that it is the responsibility of conflicting parties to respect international humanitarian laws that protect children in war.

"All forms of violence against children must immediately come to an end," she said.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are feared to be trapped in Aleppo, Manbij and other Syrian towns as fighting between government and opposition forces continues around them, reports said. Endit