Extracts from Statement by Ambassador Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the Situation in Yarmouk, April 7, 2015
The United States strongly condemns ISIL’s advance on the besieged Palestinian community in Yarmouk, southern Damascus.
Those living inside Yarmouk have already suffered from the regime’s violence and have lived under regime siege for nearly two years, deprived of desperately needed essentials, including food, potable water, and medical relief. Bombardment by the Syrian regime now creates an even more desperate situation, as ISIL reportedly controls Yarmouk’s only functioning medical facilities.
All parties must lift their siege of Yarmouk and allow for the safe evacuation of civilians in compliance with international law. Civilians who manage to leave Yarmouk must be granted immediate and safe passage; families must not be separated; and departing civilians must not be detained.
While ISIL’s advances pose an added, acute danger to Yarmouk’s civilians, all besieged communities in Syria are enduring horrific hardship. More than 440,000 people are encircled in 12 separate locations across Syria. The terrible toll the war has taken on Syria’s civilians underscores the urgent need for a political solution to end the devastating conflict. It also highlights the profound need for the perpetrators of sieges and other atrocities against the civilian population to be held accountable.