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ABU AL-ABD*, A MEDICAL VOLUNTEER IN BESIEGED YARMOUK IN SOUTHERN DAMASCUS, TELLS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ABOUT THE DAILY STRUGGLES TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE
The once bustling neighbourhood has been under siege by Syrian government and allied forces since December 2012, when warplanes bombed Yarmouk, causing thousands to flee. A handful of medical workers remained to serve the diminished and ever-weakening population, including Abu al-Abd. By March 2014, at least 194 people had died there due to lack of food and inadequate medical care, as documented by Amnesty International in Squeezing the Life out of Yarmouk: War Crimes against Besieged Civilians. In blatant contravention of international humanitarian law and UN Security Resolution 2139, the siege continues to be imposed on some 6,000 people who remain.