by Isabel Nassief and Valerie Szybala
The United Nations estimates that over 250,000 people are trapped in besieged areas of Syria. The majority of these areas are besieged by the Syrian regime, which has called it a "Starvation Until Submission Campaign." Currently, the most critical areas where civilians are at greatest risk of starvation are in and around Homs and Damascus as depicted in the maps below. There are indications that the Assad regime is trying to enact similar sieges in Aleppo as it uses barrel bombs to cut opposition supply routes. These sieges have played an increasingly important role in the regime's war strategy.
