Aid Convoys Sent to Three Staving Villages in Syria

Aid convoys were on their way Monday to secluded Syrian towns where reports of people dying from starvation and malnutrition were surfacing all over the Internet. The United Nations had called these reports "credible."

The convoys were arranged to go to the besieged village of Madaya, and the northern towns of Fouaa and Kfarya located in the Idlib Province. The towns in the Idlib Province are being held under anti-government rebels who want to oust President Bashar al-Assad while Madaya is under the control of pro-government groups.

It is very difficult for people from these towns to leave and look for food because of several factors, which range from having numerous landmines just outside of the towns to being surrounded by insurgent groups.

Due to the difficulty in getting to these towns, aid convoys had to follow the agreement under the four-towns pack. It was via these negotiations that aid was sent in October. At the time, people were also being evacuated from the towns. However, since then, plans for future convoys and evacuations have been stalled.

The latest convoy to Madaya was arranged last week with the permission of the Syrian government. Prior to the shipments, interviews with starving residents from Madaya had surfaced. In one of the video clips, a young boy with an extremely slim figure stated that he had not eaten a full and complete meal in seven days. In another, a doctor stated that he had no food to give to his patients.

Medical experts from a clinic that is linked to Doctors Without Borders stated that five people died in Madaya on Sunday, most likely from malnutrition. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated that 10 people have died in Madaya due to the conditions. Anti-government activists have claimed that more than dozens have died.

Hezbollah, Syrian's Lebanese ally, has claimed that the reports of death from starvation and malnutrition are false. The group also accused anti-government leaders of forcing people to stay in the town as a tactic in the Syrian civil war.

The medics believe that even with food arriving soon, the problems with starvation, malnutrition and overall health will not just disappear.

"One short delivery will not be the solution," International Red Cross spokeswoman Dibeh Fakhr said reported by CNN. "What is needed is regular access."

The U.N. World Food Programme, International Red Cross and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy reportedly has enough food for 40,000 people over the time span of one month. The trucks are also stocked with medical supplies.