Madaya, Syria
|
Madaya مضايا |
|
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Madaya
|
|
| Coordinates: 33°41′16″N 36°06′3″E / 33.68778°N 36.10083°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
|
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq Governorate |
| District | Al-Zabadani District |
| Nahiyah | Madaya |
| Elevation | 1,344 m (4,409 ft) |
| Population (2004 census) | |
| • Total | 9,371 |
Madaya (Arabic: مضايا) is a small mountainous town in Syria, located at an altitude of around 1,300 metres (4,300 ft). It is a well known holiday resort. It is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Damascus in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and is home to Lake Barada. Madaya often is snow-top during the winter months especially on January and February. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Madaya had a population of 9,371 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.
Since July 2015, the town has been besieged by a combination of Syrian forces loyal to the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the allied Lebanese militia Hezbollah. In December 2015, Doctors Without Borders reported that 23 people had died of starvation after a total blockade prevented any food or humanitarian aid to enter since 18 October.United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed alarm at the situation in Madaya as well as in other besieged areas in Syria, and warned that the use of starvation as weapon during conflict is a war crime.
On 7 January 2016, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a statement calling for unimpeded access to deliver emergency assistance to Madaya, Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya. Amid calls from United Nations officials and dozens of humanitarian organizations to intervene, the United Nations negotiated a deal between the Syrian government and rebels holding the town to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid, which was carried out on 11 January 2016.
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