Red Cross chief on Syria mercy mission

Red Cross chief Peter Maurer has launched a mercy mission in Syria to seek greater protection for civilians, as opposition activists said rebel-held areas of second city Aleppo faced severe food shortages under a government offensive.

In Damascus, Mr Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, met president Bashar al-Assad and expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country, ICRC spokesman Hisham Hassan said.

In a 45-minute meeting, he urged respect for international humanitarian law, and stressed the need to ensure swift provision by the ICRC of humanitarian aid such as medical supplies and equipment to restore damaged water infrastructure.

State television said Assad voiced support for the work of the ICRC in Syria so long as it remains “impartial and independent”.

“President Assad assured [Mr Maurer] that he welcomed the humanitarian operations carried out by the committee on the ground in Syria, as long as it remains impartial and independent,” the channel reported.

It is Mr Maurer’s first visit to Syria since taking over the post on Jul 1. It comes amid a surge in violence in the past weeks in Syria, where according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights more than 5,000 people were killed in the month of August alone.

Also in August, more than 100,000 people fled the country to seek refuge in neighbouring states, the UN refugee agency said, in the highest monthly figure since the beginning of the conflict in Mar 2011.

The observatory, which relies on its information from a network of activists on the ground, said at least 40 people were killed across Syria yesterday.

It put Monday’s death toll at 153 — 81 civilians, including 19 children and 14 women, 42 soldiers and 30 rebels.

An activist said rebel-held neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Aleppo were struggling with severe food shortages due to the government offensive.