Baladi News – (Huzaifa Halawa)
Blockade has been a systematic policy adopted by the Syrian regime to force local rebellious communities to surrender. In Daraa city, the siege has had very bad consequences, notably affecting the most vulnerable group, babies, as the regime forces deliberately deny entry of baby milk in particular to the poor city.
An anonymous relief worker in Daraa city said, “Most of the families in Daraa city have a lot of difficulties in obtaining milk for their babies due to their scarcity and very expensive prices.” The speaker also indicated that “At the age of less than one year, a baby needs 4 cans of milk a month, which casts a heavy burden on families under shortage of jobs”
“As relief workers, we communicated with all relief organizations to help. However, the quantity delivered to the south of Syria barely covers twenty five percent of the actual needs, particularly in the sieged part of Daraa city, where there are nearly 925 babies under one year of age,” he added.
According to the speaker, “sources of baby milk are limited to suppliers in the neighboring countries, meanwhile very little amounts come from the regime-held areas, because the regime considers baby milk a medical item that is strictly denied from entering the besieged parts.”
Even UN organizations were denied from delivering milk to liberated neighborhoods in Daraa, which forced citizens to give their babies unadvisable stuffs such as boiled egg and yogurt, which caused infections with inflammatory bowel disease.
Since the beginning of this year, very little amounts of milk were entered to the liberated parts of south Syria, which were received and distributed by local bodies to cover the needs of families there.