Critical Aid Provided for 60,000 in Homs After Ceasefire - Red Cross

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that as many as 60,000 people are in need of food, medical aid and construction materials in the district of Homs.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – As many as 60,000 people are in need of food, medical aid and construction materials in the district of Homs, Syria following the ceasefire between government and opposition forces, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday.

"Hopefully, this is just the start. We need to have regular access here and also to other areas, in order to help the people during these extremely difficult times," deputy head of the ICRC delegation in Syria Alexandre Equey said.

Last week, armed Syrian rebels began to withdraw from Homs under an agreement reached between the Syrian government and the opposition, according to Homs Governor Talal Barazi.

The ceasefire allowed aid workers from the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to access the hard-to-reach district, and bring in convoys of desperately needed materials to local residents.

Russia gave its support to the locally brokered ceasefires in Syria last week, stating that such developments could help create the conditions for a general peace settlement in the country engulfed by civil war since 2011.