Syrian rebels retreat from Homs as thousands of families face bombardment

In Syria, forces with the Free Syrian Army have withdrawn from Baba Amr in the central city of Homs and residents and aid workers are warning of a population vulnerable to lack of food, supplies and continued bombardment. In a statement, the Baba Amr brigade of the Free Syrian Army said that the situation was dire with “no food, no medicines, no water and no electricity.” The retreating forces also said communication was down in the area, making matters worse. Residents in the area have been under regular shelling for nearly four weeks now. A video posted online, showed people sitting in the street with pails collecting falling snow for water. The Local Coordination Committees, a group of local activists, said killings also took place today in Idlib, Jabatha and Hama and mass arrests took place in Damascus prompting what activists called “an exodus” of residents from the suburbs. The International Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent said that the regime of Bashar Al Assad pledged to allow access to the area starting Friday, but that the aid operation would be difficult. “It’s very difficult to know what’s happened in Baba Amr. We need to have our teams on the spot to assess the situation and respond to the needs. However, we know the situation has been deteriorating over the days. It’s been deteriorating by the hour and we know the security conditions are difficult. Not to mention that the weather is very cold and it’s been snowing so the operation that will take place hopefully tomorrow, will happen in a complex environment.” That’s Red Cross spokesperson, Carla Haddad. It’s not yet clear how many staff would be allowed to enter or under what conditions. The Red Cross has for weeks been requesting a temporary cease-fire in Homs and other areas of the country in order to provide much-needed supplies and medical treatment to residents. Rafif Joejate, spokesperson for Local Coordination Committees, told FSRN that thousands of families in the city are now vulnerable.

That’s Rafif Joejate, spokesperson for the Local Coordination Committees speaking from Berlin. As the international community attempts to put an end to the bloodshed through resolutions and sanctions, some US lawmakers, including John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have suggested providing arms to the Syrian opposition. But Today, Jeffrey Feltman Assistant US Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that this would not lead to an end to the violence. “There’s self defense going on inside Syria right now. We cannot criticize the right to self defense when people are facing the incredible brutality. But we would like to use the political tools that are at our disposal, that includes the Security Council in order to advance the tipping point. Because it’s not clear to us that arming people right now will either save lives or lead to the demise of the Assad regime.” Also today, the UN’s Human Rights Council adopted a resolution that condemns “widespread and systematic” violations of human rights by Syrian authorities. The text of the resolution noted the regime’s use of force against civilians, the killing and persecution of protesters, enforced disappearances and torture and sexual violence, including of children. Thirty seven countries voted in favor of the resolution - three voted against it: China, Cuba and Russia. The UN’s Special Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, acknowledged on Wednesday that time was running out, but said dialogue was still the way to go. “There is a need for dialogue between all actors in Syria and that is what we would want and try and push as soon as possible to get the dialogue going. I know there are people who have other ideas that dialogue may not be the way to go and one should use other means but I think for the sake of the people, for the sake of the Syrian people who are caught in the middle a peaceful solution through dialogue and a speedy one is the way to go.” More than three-thousand people have been killed just in the Homs area, according to the UN. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon also warned of the possible existence of chemical weapons in Syria. Ban expressed concern during a meeting with the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, at United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.