Protests in Daraa reject the Russian plan and demand the lifting of the siege on the city’s neighborhoods

Yesterday evening, Wednesday, dozens of civilians staged a protest in several areas of the city of Daraa, in rejection of the Russian plan to settle the situation in
the city.

Local sources said that the cities and towns of Tafas, Muzayrib and Dael organized vigils in which they confirmed Russia’s demands for handing over weapons, displacing fighters, and entering the Assad regime’s forces into Daraa neighborhoods.

The latest Russian plan, which the Central Committee of Daraa received a copy of, included to discuss the surrender of individual weapons and the displacement of the rejectionists to Idlib in preparation for the entry of Assad regime forces and full control of Daraa al-Balad.

After announcing that no agreement had been reached at yesterday’s meeting, the regime forces bombed with heavy machine guns the besieged neighborhoods of Daraa al-Balad, in addition to the outbreak of clashes on its outskirts.

The neighborhoods of Daraa al-Balad have been besieged since last June 24, with the civilians being cut off from flour, water, electricity and medicine, more than half of whom have been displaced, as others fear the Assad regime’s retaliatory practices.

Yesterday, the protesters demanded west of Daraa to lift the siege, allow the passage of humanitarian supplies and stop the bombing of civilian homes, stressing the need for the people of the area to keep their weapons.

Last week, the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, warned of the deteriorating situation in Daraa al-Balad, with “the possibility of increasing confrontations and further deterioration unless there is an immediate calm and a political solution to the crisis.”