Geneva [Switzerland], March 6 (ANI): International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that the second attempt to evacuate 200,000 civilians stranded in Mariupol in Ukraine has failed and added that the parties involved in the ceasefire agreement need to agree not just in principle but also on the details of safe passages.
“People are living in terror in Mariupol, desperate for safety. Today’s attempt to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people has failed. The failed attempts underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between parties to the conflict,” ICRC said in a tweet.
ICRC added that parties need to agree ‘not just in principle but also on the details of safe passages’.
“Parties need to agree not just in principle but also on the details of safe passages. In particular: *Specific time, locations and evacuation routes *Who may be voluntarily evacuated *Whether aid can be brought in, not just the evacuation of civilians out,” it stated.
Displaying its disappointment, ICRC said, “We are not and cannot be the guarantor of a ceasefire agreement between the parties or of its implementation. As a neutral and impartial humanitarian intermediary, we’ve been facilitating dialogue between the parties on the safe passage of civilians. Civilians need safety.”
It described the series of events that happened and mentioned, “Today, our team began opening up the evacuation route from Mariupol before hostilities resumed. We remain in Mariupol and are ready to help facilitate further attempts – if the parties reach an agreement, which is for them alone to implement and respect.”
ICRC pointed out that people in Mariupol and in other places across Ukraine are living in desperate situations.
“They must be protected at all times. They are not a target. People urgently need water, food, shelter. The basics of life. We need safety guarantees to be able to bring them aid,” ICRC stated showing its concern over the situation.
The Mariupol City Council announced the evacuation of civilians via humanitarian corridors on Sunday, a day later than the initially agreed upon date with Russia.
“A ceasefire will be established today, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time [08:00 to 19:00 GMT]. The evacuation of the civilian population begins at 12:00,” the council announced on Telegram. It added that civilians will be able to evacuate from Mariupol from three places by bus or leave the city on private transport.
The evacuation was delayed by a day, which was blamed by both Russia and Ukraine on the other side.
Russia maintained that the Ukrainian forces prevented people from leaving the city on Saturday, while the Ukrainian authorities blamed the delay on Russian forces violating the ceasefire that was agreed upon.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine. (ANI)
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