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International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters that a deal between Syrian authorities and trapped civilians and fighters in the city of Homs had broken down on Thursday. For the past few days, government forces appear to be on the verge of regaining control of the besieged opposition region. Homs had played host to several demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2011, and has since seen many of its neighbourhoods destroyed by military shells, thereby becoming a symbol of the Syrian civil war.
Several hundred people still remain trapped in the old city part of Homs, surrounded by pro-Assad militia and government forces. Earlier this year, a deal in Geneva let some of the civilians in the city leave; however, the heavy fighting this week have caused negotiations to break down.
In his statement, Brahimi said, “It is a matter of deep regret that negotiations were brutally stopped and violence is now rife again when a comprehensive agreement seemed close at hand. It is alarming that Homs, whose people have suffered so much throughout these past three years is again the theatre of death and destruction.”
For the past few months, government forces have regained control of many rebel-held border towns and areas, thereby closing off supply lines from Lebanon and securing the highway leading out from Damascus to Homs and Syria. Opposition political body National Coalition warns of a lot of bloodshed if Assad’s forces push through the small pockets of rebel-held Homs.
Spokesman for the group Monzer Akbik said, “We warn the international community of a potential massacre in Homs. The Old City has been besieged by regime forces for 676 days. It is critical that the eyes of the world remain fixed on Homs at this crucial time. The regime has reduced what was the soul of the revolution to rubble and ruin”.
