FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Earlier this morning, Secretary-General Guterres told the Security Council that 400,000 Syrian civilians trapped in eastern Ghouta are living in a “hell on Earth.” That is because attacks by the Assad regime and its backers against these civilians grow worse by the day. In addition to shelling civilian targets like hospitals, the regime is preventing access to humanitarian aid, leaving the people left in eastern Ghouta without food, water, and medicine. More than 700 people are waiting to be evacuated for urgently needed medical care. The United Nations Security Council is considering a resolution that would establish a one-month ceasefire to allow for the delivery of critical supplies and evacuation of the wounded.

“It’s time to take immediate action in the hopes of saving the lives of the men, women, and children who are under attack by the barbaric Assad regime. It is simply preposterous to claim that these attacks on civilians have anything to do with fighting terrorism. The Security Council must move to adopt a resolution establishing a ceasefire. The United States will support it, as should every member of the Council. As the Secretary-General warned us all, ‘eastern Ghouta cannot wait,’” said Ambassador Haley.

###