Hundreds of besieged people in Homs condemn Damascus truce

Hundreds of people from the besieged city of Homs have demonstrated Tuesday against recent truce agreed with Bashar al-Assad regime, saying it is a new conspiracy against Syrian people to end the revolution and to get the benefits of starvation policy, activists said.

Abdul Basset al-Sarout, revolutionary icon and vocal supporter, led the demonstration, shouting slogans in support of the revolution and reject humiliation.

Syria’s army and rebels have agreed local truces in key flashpoints around Damascus, despite regime and opposition representatives failing to make any progress in Geneva peace talks.

In the southern suburb of Babila, AFP journalists Monday saw rebels and soldiers – all armed – in conversation, which would have been unthinkable just days ago.

The local truces come 18 months into fierce fighting in and around the capital that has led rebels and Assad’s forces to compromise, with neither side able to clinch victory.

Besides Babila, deals have been struck for Moadamieh, Qudsaya, Beit Sahm, Yalda, Barzeh and Yarmouk – a former Palestinian camp.

In relevant development, The Syrian National Coalition has expressed “deep concern” over the fate of more than 200 men, evacuated from the Old City of Homs earlier this month, who are still detained by Syrian authorities.

United Nations observers say 335 men were held among the 1,400 civilians who left the area after an evacuation brokered amid the Geneva II conference. Syrian officials said those who recanted ties with the opposition would be freed, but those linked to “terrorism” would be arrested.

Referring to pictures of thousands of detainees abused and killed in Syrian prisons, the Coalition said, We should not forget that in the run up to the Geneva talks, leaked photographic images showed the Assad regime has been carrying out torture and summary executions on an industrial scale, against civilian detainees for nearly three years during the Syrian uprising against tyranny and injustice.”

Several thousand civilians are reportedly trapped by the siege, which has been imposed on rebel-held areas of Homs's Old City. Activists warned of severe food and energy shortages in the besieged areas and reported that residents were malnourished.