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Press Release: Aleppo Evacuation Update/ Urgent Child Protection
For Immediate Release
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Bana Al Abed & family with the UOSSSM Head of Trauma.
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Toronto, ON- Thousands of people from Aleppo were evacuated today through the enormous efforts of 14 NGO’s bringing the total to approximately 20,000 evacuated. The majority of the evacuees were children, women and families. Among the children was Bana Al Abed, the seven-year-old girl, who’s twitter account went viral (@alabedbana), providing updates about the horrors of living in besieged Aleppo.
Yesterday, Bana was received and protected by UOSSM’s evacuation and child protection team, and accompanied by the Head of the International Trauma Committee for UOSSM to a safe undisclosed location. Many children have been evacuated but so many more remain vulnerable and in desperate need. In November alone, 183 of the 694 civilians who died were under the age of five according to a UOSSM medical report. Causes of death were direct airstrikes and a lack of medical capacity.
UOSSM Safety and Security Director Dr. Ahmad Al-Dbis, who has been at the evacuation cross point since last Thursday, spoke with other children that gave heartbreaking testimony. Kauthar, a second grader, was another child sitting on a chair alone, with a wound on her chin, a broken hand, and wounded chest. She lost her father to the brutal war along with her grandmother and aunt.
UOSSM operated 21 vehicles and 5 advanced ambulances from Qatar Charity as part of a 171 vehicle NGO convoy in the Aleppo evacuation. 18 UOSSM vehicles were equipped for critical medical cases and 8 vehicles for minor medical cases. UOSSM had 195 staff and volunteers (120 staff/ 75 volunteers) assisting the evacuation and receiving the displaced in mobile clinics. The workers/ volunteers were comprised of: paramedics, drivers, logistics, administrative workers, and psychological care workers.
UOSSM is deeply concerned by the lack of shelter, food, medical capacity and infrastructure to accommodate the influx of displaced peoples. National NGO’s are doing their best to accommodate but there is an IMMEDIATE need for international NGO’s to build and run this infrastructure. Displaced populations from Aleppo are EXTREMELY vulnerable to air strikes/ attack on IDP camps. 6 months ago the Atmeh camp was hit by airstrikes and 18 civilians were killed and the camp tents burned. We call for IMMEDIATE and exhaustive monitoring and protection of the displaced by the UN and international community.
"The sheer number of children and families leaving Aleppo is shocking. Seeing young Bana safe brought tears to my eyes but there are scores of children still at risk. The freezing conditions are a real threat to the survival of vulnerable groups. The situation is so volatile that we need independent UN monitors on the ground ASAP and safe places for evacuees to arrive too." Said Dr. Anas Al Kassem, Chairman of UOSSM Canada/ Ontario Surgeon
Media inquiries and interviews please contact :
Dr. Anas Al Kassem is available for interview
Name: Avi D'Souza
Global Director Of Communications
Phone: 1 (647) 528-5029
Email: press@uossm.org
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Aleppo Evacuation Report:
20 December 2016
From Sunday December 18 to Tuesday December 20, roughly 12,000 people and 150-175 wounded patients were evacuated by 171 busses.
19 December 2016
At 2:00 pm a new convoy of ten buses reached the evacuation point including approximately 600 people. Most of them were families who suffered from thirst, hunger and sickness after being in the streets in freezing weather
Another convoy of 13 buses arrived at the evacuation point including wounded and sick people from Aleppo.
18 December 2016
After waiting for almost two days a convoy of five buses finally reached the evacuation meeting point late Sunday night, after being held at a checkpoint for almost nine hours. There were over 300 evacuees including many women and children. UOSSM Safety and Security Director, Dr. Ahmad Dbis, spoke with several children who said, while at the checkpoint in the extreme cold, they did not have any food, water, blankets, and were not even allowed to leave the buses to use the restroom. Child protection teams have been following up with children and their families once settled.
Three people died awaiting evacuation, the first victim was a newborn baby that had birth defects and required ICU. A surgical nurse and midwife performed an emergency caesarean section, the mother survived, but medics were unable to do anything to save her baby’s life without proper medical intervention and equipment. The second victim was a young man who developed an infection from a wound in his knee, the infection required intravenous antibiotics. Due to the lack of medications and proper medical care, the young man went into septic shock, efforts to revive him failed and the young man died. The third victim was a child who died from the extreme cold weather while waiting for the evacuation convoy.
December 15, 2016
UOSSM initially began with 21 vehicles on Thursday December 15, and 26 vehicles on Friday December 16.
Convoy Evacuation Schedule - All NGO’s:
1. First group- 1150 people
2. Second group- 1091 people
3. Third group- 1250 people
4. Fourth group- 190 people
5. Fifth group- 1500 people
6. Sixth group- 500 people
7. Seventh group- 100 people
10-15 private cars arrived at different stages and assisted with the evacuation of roughly 500 people.
Injured and wounded December 15:
1. First group- 13 ambulances (Red Cross / Red Crescent) assisted 75 people. 39 injured and 36 in civilian transport buses in stable conditions.
2. Second group- 13 ambulances (Red Cross/ Red Crescent) assisted 31 injured in stable condition.
3. Third group- 10 ambulances (Red Cross/ Red Crescent) transported 10 critically injured patients.
4. Fourth group- 6 ambulances (Red Cross/ Red Crescent) transported 6 wounded, 3 in critical conditions and the others in stable conditions.
200 wounded, in need of surgery/ medical aid, along with their families were taken by buses transporting civilians.
**Given the haste and extreme challenges of the evacuation and data collection, final numbers will be distributed after the evacuation is complete.
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A picture of Kauthar taken by UOSSM staff.
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A picture of Bana with the UOSSM Head of Trauma.
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UOSSM (Union des Organisations de Secours et Soins Médicaux) provides free medical aid to the people of Syria regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion or political affiliation. UOSSM international, founded by Syrian Doctors around the world, started in 2012 and operates 12 major hospitals and supports 120 clinics inside Syria. UOSSM has performed over 1,000,000 medical treatments inside Syria since inception.
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