On 12 May 2016, an aid convoy headed to Daraya, Syria was denied entry by government forces at the final checkpoint. The convoy was organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. Those waiting for the aid were shelled, resulting in the death of two people, and injuries to five.

The convoy reached the final government checkpoint outside the city in the early afternoon, but despite negotiations, was forced to turn back without delivering the essential supplies, which included baby milk, medicine, hygiene items, and vaccines. Citizens that had gathered to receive the supplies were shelled by regime forces in the early evening, resulting in the deaths of a father and his son, and injuries to five more.

Daraya has been under siege by Government forces since 2012 and has an increasingly urgent need for food and supplies. No medical vaccinations have been carried out since then and essential services, such as running water or electricity, have been cut. The population has diminished from 80,000 to 8,000. The little food they can grow is also not enough to sustain them.

Some residents believe the shelling was in retaliation for the city’s resilience during the strict government siege. A UN emergency relief coordinator has stated that the Syrian government has repeatedly ignored requests for aid to be delivered to Daraya.

For more information, read:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/05/syria-civil-war-aid-convoy-besieged-daraya-blocked-160513085212581.html
https://www.icrc.org/en/document/aid-convoy-turns-back-after-being-refused-entry-besieged-daraya
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/13/world/middleeast/daraya-syria-aid-convoy.html?_r=0
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/besieged-syrians-beg-food-after-un-aid-convoy-denied-entry-into-daraya-1559983