11th convoy from Eastern Ghouta arrives in Hama, Syria

By Esref Musa and Adham Kako

IDLIB, Syria/ANKARA, Turkey

The 11th convoy carrying civilians and opposition fighters from Syria’s besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta arrived in the central-western Hama province on Saturday.

According to Anadolu Agency correspondents based in the area, the evacuees were taken from the towns of Arbin, Zamalka, and Ain Tarma.

Saturday’s convoy was made up of 129 buses carrying nearly 6,400 passengers, including injured people, medical patients, and a number of opposition fighters.

At least 43,000 people have been evacuated from Eastern Ghouta since the evacuation process began on March 22.

Evacuees are being accommodated at temporary refugee centers -- and at local schools and mosques -- in Syria’s northwestern Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

During the journey to the north of the country, some buses in the convoy had an accident near the capital Damascus, which caused the death of five people, according to Anadolu Agency correspondents.

Last week, the first two convoys evacuated people from Harasta, Eastern Ghouta, followed by evacuations from the towns of Arbin, Zamalka, and Ain Tarma.

The evacuations are part of a Russian-brokered agreement between Syria’s Assad regime and armed opposition groups.

On Feb. 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401, which called for a cease-fire in Syria -- especially in Eastern Ghouta -- to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Despite the resolution, however, the regime and its allies early this month launched a major ground offensive -- backed by Russian air power -- aimed at capturing opposition-held parts of the district.

Since Feb. 19, at least 1,433 people have been killed in attacks by the regime and its allies in Eastern Ghouta, according to local civil-defense sources.

Home to some 400,000 residents, the district has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years which has prevented the delivery of badly needed humanitarian supplies.