“Aleppo has become a ghost city. The world has abandoned us.”

That’s what my family, friends and colleagues on the ground who I grew up with kept telling me about my hometown of Aleppo these last few months. A once vibrant city is now reduced to rubble.

‘We have lost faith in the international community to protect us.’Civilian in Aleppo

Beginning with the implementation of a siege on the eastern part of the city in July, the estimated 250,000 people of eastern Aleppo have endured immeasurable hardships at the hands of the regime and its allies ― starvation, constant bombardment, alleged chemical attacks and lack of access to medical care. And the list goes on and on. Through all of these events, which were well documented by first responders and published in many media outlets worldwide, the international community failed to provide humanitarian assistance and protection for the innocent civilians in the city.

The recent cease-fire and evacuation agreements presented another opportunity for the international community to act with urgency to ensure the protection of civilians during the evacuation process. Once again, the world has failed miserably.  

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