The ICRC director of operations on Tuesday described destruction he witnessed during this week's visit to Syria's Eastern Ghouta, noting that up to 90 percent of infrastructure had been destroyed there during the military conflict in the country.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2018) The ICRC director of operations on Tuesday described destruction he witnessed during this week's visit to Syria's Eastern Ghouta, noting that up to 90 percent of infrastructure had been destroyed there during the military conflict in the country.
"I could get a sense of the immense challenges that lie ahead for Syrian people to regain access to basic services and to rebuild their lives. I was, frankly speaking, overwhelmed by the staggering levels of destruction that I saw in Eastern Ghouta. In certain areas, up to 90 percent of the infrastructure was destroyed during the conflict. This includes bakeries, houses, irrigation channels, water pipelines, power grids and schools," ICRC Director of Operations Dominik Stillhart said during a press briefing, after visiting Eastern Ghouta this week to meet people affected by the conflict in Syria.
The ICRC official detailed the devastating conditions of a local hospital in Eastern Ghouta.
"During the trip to Eastern Ghouta, we visited what appears to be the only hospital that is offering free of charge services to people in Eastern Ghouta. It is a hospital that has been functioning throughout the conflict. I was really shocked by the fact that the hospital, six months after the end of hostilities, is lacking everything. It is lacking instruments, equipment and drugs," he said.
He stressed that huge efforts would be required to restore access to basic services, houses, water, electricity and communication in the region.
"There's no doubt in my mind that the consequences of this conflict are going to be felt for generations to come," he said.
Nevertheless, the ICRC official vowed to support the "resilience of the Syrian people" and promised that ICRC would return to the region to offer assistance.
The civil war in Syria broke out in 2011 and has since forced millions of Syrian refugees to flee from violence and destruction in the country.
