France demands 'immediate' UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo

France is calling for an urgent UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo as Syrian regime forces drive tens of thousands from their home.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

29 November, 2016

Thousands of civilians are fleeing East Aleppo as fighting rages on [Getty]

France has called for an "immediate" UN Security Council meeting on Aleppo to tackle the "humanitarian disaster" in the besieged Syrian city.

"More than ever, there is an urgent need for a cessation of hostilities and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance", Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement on Aleppo, where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in the fighting between government troops and rebels.

The call came as the Syrian army advanced deep inside east Aleppo, taking several neighbourhoods from the opposition in an onslaught to recapture the entire city.

Up to 16,000 civilians have fled eastern Aleppo as the rebels lost all of the northern neighbourhoods of their stronghold, the UN said on Tuesday, describing the situation as "chilling".

"The intensity of attacks on eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods over the past few days has forced thousands of civilians to flee to other parts of the city," UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said in a statement, adding that reports from the UN's humanitarian partners indicated that "up to 16,000 people have been displaced, many into uncertain and precarious situations".