UN: No aid reached Syria's besieged area in 2 months

By Betul Yuruk

NEW YORK (AA) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday said no aid has reached a besieged area of Syria in the last two months.

"Yet in the last two months, not a single convoy of life-saving relief has reached a besieged area. No medical supplies. No food," Guterres told reporters.

Guterres said humanitarian aid was not getting in and “people suffering dire health conditions are not getting out.”

"Millions of Syrians have lost everything. I call on the government and opposition delegations and all states with influence to cooperate with my special envoy [on Syria Staffan de Mistura]," he added.

Guterres said he appealed for humanitarian access, "strict" respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians.

"We don’t have a moment to lose," he said.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since March 2011 when the al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

While UN officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, Syrian regime officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000.