Syria activists call for aid amid siege

BEIRUT – Syrian opposition activists on Monday declared a “humanitarian disaster area” in the embattled city of Homs and called on the United Nations and Arab League to intervene and protect threatened civilians.

The opposition decried a 5-day-old siege of Syria’s third-largest city, which has become a hub of the rebellion and a reported site of sectarian massacres.

“Indiscriminate slaughter is being committed by the regime’s militias,” said the Syrian National Council, an opposition umbrella group that demands the ouster of President Bashar Assad.

Security forces have reportedly met stiff resistance from opposition gunmen – labeled terrorists by the government and freedom fighters by the opposition.

Government forces have shelled the neighborhood of Bab Amr, where 40 people have been killed and dozens of homes destroyed in recent days, according to the Local Coordination Committees, another opposition coalition. The death toll in Homs and environs in the last week or so exceeds 100, the opposition says.

The siege has prevented the entry of food, medical supplies and other essentials, the opposition said, and residents have been trapped in their homes and, in some cases, unable to bury their dead. The opposition is seeking international assistance in providing aid, protecting civilians and evacuating residents to a safe location.

“This is an extreme humanitarian crisis,” said Ausama Monajed, a member of the Syrian National Council, which was officially formed last month in Istanbul.