WCC urges immediate focus on safety, security in Aleppo

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit urged an immediate cessation of airstrikes and bombardments on Aleppo. The conflict in Aleppo, Syria, has intensified in recent months, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the city.

“It is unacceptable that children should become victims in this way,” said Tveit in a WCC statement released on 4 December. “The alarming situation of the thousands of civilians trapped in Aleppo amidst the escalating violence is of deep concern to us. As Churches we call for full respect for the dignity of all human beings created in the image of God.”

“Hunger, the threat to life, the destruction of homes, the lack of security and medical care, and the inability for people to access help is forcing communities to endure ever greater suffering,” he said.

“We call on the UN Security Council to put aside whatever political agenda it may have, and actually focus on the safety and security of civilians in Syria.”

“No other interest should have a higher priority than to protect the lives of the thousands of people at stake,” he said. “The UN Security Council should prioritize the humanitarian imperative and implement relevant UN resolutions that oblige all parties to the conflict to respect and protect all civilians and civilian infrastructure; allow for safe, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access; and put an end to brutal sieges of so many areas in Syria.”