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Foreign Secretary comments on Aleppo

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calls for immediate ceasefire in Aleppo.

The Foreign Secretary said:

I call on those with influence on the regime – especially Russia and Iran – to use this to end the devastating assault on eastern Aleppo and ensure the UN’s humanitarian plan for the city can be implemented. The assault is threatening humanitarian catastrophe. Hundreds of civilians are reported killed in the past fortnight and thousands displaced by attacks over the weekend. We need an immediate ceasefire in Aleppo and immediate access for impartial humanitarian actors to ensure the protection of vulnerable civilians fleeing the fighting. These are humanitarian imperatives.

All involved in the siege and assault on Aleppo have a responsibility to change course to protect civilians. Civilians and armed actors should be treated according to International Humanitarian Law. Elsewhere, the Assad regime is using siege and bombardment tactics to force surrenders – this too must stop.

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Published 28 November 2016