A senior Syrian opposition figure said on Monday the US-Russia-brokered ceasefire that went into effect in Syria a week ago is now "clinically dead." George Sabra of the High Negotiations Committee said that the truce has been repeatedly violated and did not succeed in opening roads for aid to enter besieged rebel-held areas. Seven days after the ceasefire went into effect, aid convoys have not been able to reach besieged rebel-held neighborhoods of the northern city of Aleppo. On Monday, the opposition reported 254 violations by government forces and their allies since the truce started on Sept. 12. Syrian state media said there were 32 violations by rebels on Sunday alone. The Syrian army said in a statement last week that the truce will last until midnight Sunday. Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of the Aleppo-based group Fastaqim, also said that the truce has "practically failed and has ended" and there is no hope that aid will be delivered to rebel-held eastern Aleppo. "I believe that practically it has failed and has ended," said Malahifji, adding that it remained to be seen if anything could be done "in theory" to save it. Asked whether he expected aid to reach rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo, he said: "There is no hope. It has been a number of days of procrastination. Every day there is a pretext. There is no hope of aid being delivered currently." — Agencies
