Syria Solidarity UK has been talking today to aid workers and doctors inside the besieged Syrian town of Madaya. This is their reaction to the announcement that the Syrian government is going to allow UN aid into Madaya.
First point: This aid alone will not solve the problem. The problem must be tackled from the root, which means not every now and then getting aid into the city on the conditions of the Syrian government, but th UN have to establish safe routes for food to come to the city on a regular basis without interference from the Syrian government or any groups.
Second, Madaya is not the only besieged community in Syria, there are other besieged areas, and if a solution is found for Madaya it should be used for other besieged communities to break the siege, and hunger should not be used as weapon against civilians.
Third, there is one rumour that aid has already arrived; this is not true. There is another rumour that aid will take two to six days to reach Madaya. If so at least three people at least will die for each day of delay. There is no guarantee of how long it will take for food to arrive, so this is not a solution. They need food right now.
Finally, if the UN actually manage to get food to Madaya, it will feed the population for a month and after a month the cycle will start all over again, and there will be people dying all over again. This is not a permanent solution, and the people of Madaya need a permanent solution.