The Syrian central government has held the Aleppo province under blockade for the last five months, leading to a severe shortage of fuel and other essential supplies in the predominantly-Kurdish northern part of the province, Amnesty International said in a report released on 24 January.
Following the intermittent restrictions over the past year, Damascus implemented strict controls on fuel, flour and medical supplies in August 2022 in Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh and Shahba, all controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The affected area is home to 300,000 people who were forced to leave their home town of Afrin following the Turkish occupation in 2018.
Hospitals, bakeries and other crucial facilities are at imminent risk of running out of fuel in the besieged areas, which have only two hours of electricity per day, as opposed to seven hours before the embargo.
The government-backed Fourth Armoured Division, the primary military force involved in the siege, have opened a smuggling route where small amounts of fuel are being sold at exorbitant prices, according to Sheikh Maqsoud and Shahba residents.
“Civilians are living in constant fear, deprivation and uncertainty, and are once again paying the highest price in this seemingly endless conflict”, said Diana Semaan from Amnesty International’s Beirut Regional Office.
Northern Aleppo is home to various ethnic groups, including Kurds, Arabs, Circassians, Armenians and Turkmens.
