ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The international Red Cross organization is calling on all sides to respect the rules of war for the sake of thousands of civilians who remain in the war-torn cities of Mosul and Raqqa, fearing a violent death by a bombardment, sniper fire, shelling or airstrikes and lacking basic necessities such as food and water.
“We appeal to all sides to protect civilians and respect the rules of war,” Robert Mardina, Regional Director for the Near and Middle East at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement on Friday. “Civilians still inside Raqqa and Mosul must be spared and allowed free passage if they want to leave. Those who have fled must receive all the assistance they need and be treated with dignity.”
Mosul and Raqqa have been the two main ISIS strongholds in the last few years, and ICRC states that the human death toll is staggering within both cities.
In Mosul, ICRC doctors are doing their best to save lives in Mosul General Hospital which is near the frontline. They are treating hundreds of civilians for war-related injuries, including small children, continuously. Several have died upon arrival.
“Common humanity is under attack,” stated Mardina.
In Raqqa, the situation is harrowing as relief efforts remain more complicated due to security concerns, border controls and geography. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are constantly shifting locations due to security concerns and the heightened number of airstrikes.
“In Mosul, there were camps waiting for people to come out. In Raqqa you couldn’t do that. You can’t go into ISIS-held territory and build camps and wait for people to come out,” said Scott Craig, spokesperson for Syria for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The ICRC says that it is vitally important to save lives and reduce human suffering. In the long term it will be a lot easier to rebuild, reconcile, and to reconstitute if the war itself was kept within some bounds, where humanitarian considerations are respected.
“If not, a new generation will grow up in a conflict incubator and the vicious cycle of violence will continue,” warned Mardina.
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