Syria Red Crescent on standby to resume Homs operations

Red Crescent in Syria is on standby to resume the evacuation of civilians from the western city of Homs, after operations suspended over “logistical difficulties.”

Khaled Erksoussi, the head of operations at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (Sarc), said on Wednesday that the teams were waiting for the conclusion of a meeting between the UN and Homs’s governor, Talal Barazi.

“We are expecting that we’ll be able to get some more food material in and hoping to get some more people out,” said Erksoussi.

The UN agencies together with the Red Crescent have evacuated civilians from parts of Homs and delivered aid to those in the city since a UN-brokered truce was put in place on Friday.

More than 1,150 people were evacuated between Friday and Monday, and the World Food Program (WFP) distributed enough food for another 1,550 families in different neighborhoods of the city.

The truce has been broken several times, with Damascus blaming foreign-backed militants who hold some parts of the city, for shelling that killed 14 people.

On Tuesday, the operations were suspended after talks between the Homs governor and the UN failed to reach agreement on a logistical plan.

Erksoussi said that the difficulties were related to finding a safe route out for 28 families in Bustan al-Diwan district.

“They want to get out but there is no road from where they are to the exit point, so we are pressuring the UN to put on pressure to provide a route for them to get to the exit point,” he added.