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Inside Syria: How life goes on in a besieged town

Civilians in Erbin, one of Eastern Ghouta’s besieged communities, live with no water, electricity or public services.

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A man is selling a traditional Syrian drink to make a living. Residents in Eastern Ghouta have little or no choice about what to eat and drink owing to the siege. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
By Ammar al-Bushy
Published On 24 May 2017

Eastern Ghouta, in northern Damascus suburbs, has been partially besieged by the Syrian government since 2013. It has an estimated population of 400,000, according to a report by Netherlands-based Siege Watch.

In 2013, the Syrian government banned civilians from going into or out of the enclave, allowing only some food deliveries to be received or sold.

Eastern Ghouta is one of the three cordons around the capital Damascus, the southern suburbs to the south, and Western Ghouta (Daraya and Moadamiya) to the southwest.

Erbin is one of the 22 communities located in Eastern Ghouta. The town’s civilians, markets, hospitals and schools have come under Russian and Syrian air attacks. Erbin has been a stronghold for major rebel groups, including Jaish al-Islam, al-Rahman Corps and al-Qaeda-linked Levant Liberation Committee (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham) during much of the six-year conflict.

Civilians live in harsh conditions in Eastern Ghouta, sometimes with no water, electricity or public services to help facilitate their daily lives.

But people have managed to adapt and create their own way of living, such as making use of the town’s rich trees for food, manually pumping water from existing wall pipes.

An agreement, signed by Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Kazakh capital of Astana last week, called for a cessation of hostilities between rebel groups and forces fighting on behalf of the Syrian government in four de-escalation zones located mainly in opposition-held areas of the country.

Eastern Ghouta was one of these areas.

The plan specifies that a six-month renewable truce should take effect on May 6 and that Assad’s air force would halt all flights over the de-escalation areas.

It also stressed that hostilities will be controlled between the parties, including the use of any types of weapons. Unhindered, immediate and safe humanitarian access will be provided under the supervision of the Syrian government, the document said.

Erbin’s residents have no choice but to sit and wait for their fate.

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Many residents in Eastern Ghouta have become dependent on local farming for survival, but the volume and variety of crops being produced is still insufficient for them. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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A man sits next to the small quantity of vegetables he has to sell. The UN says no humanitarian convoy was allowed access to eastern Ghouta since October 2016, with some areas cut off since June. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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A bread baker is preparing the ingredients to make bread. Lack of supplies have resulted in closures of many bakeries owing to lack of flour and much higher prices for fuel and gas. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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People wait in line for their share of bread. In winter, residents relied mostly on wood for both warmth and cooking. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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In March the UN said that an attack blamed on the government targeted the springs of Wadi Barada and cut off water for 5.5 million people in and around the capital Damascus for more than a week. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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Air strikes and the fighting have destroyed many neighbourhoods in Eastern Ghouta, leaving several schools and hospitals out of service. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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A Free Syrian Army fighter on his way to the frontline. Major rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta include Jaish al-Islam, al-Rahman Corps and the al-Qaeda-linked Levant Liberation Committee (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham). [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
East Ghouta in Syria/Please Do Not Use
A man sells cigarettes and flasks of fuel. Government forces are only present on the outskirts of this area. They enforce the siege by controlling the surrounding towns, roads, military bases, and checkpoints. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
East Ghouta in Syria/Please Do Not Use
Erbin's souk is partially out of service because people fear possible air strikes. Civilian infrastructure continues to be affected by the tight restrictions and reports of shelling, air strikes, and ground fighting. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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A man buys homemade flavoured ice cups. With commercial and humanitarian supplies being blocked, prices of basic goods have gone up significantly. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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Children make use of anything they can find to play games. Here they are playing with marbles on the street. In its latest report, the UN says at least 624,500 Syrians, including 280,854 children, live in besieged areas across the country. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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According to the UN, a besieged community is an area surrounded by armed actors with the sustained effect that humanitarian assistance cannot regularly enter, and civilians, the sick and the wounded cannot regularly exit the area. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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Recent infighting in Eastern Ghouta left at least 170 people killed. Activists have said the reasons behind the fighting between rebel groups include different long-term goals. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]
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Children playing a traditional Syrian game using the remnants of fired bullets. According to the UN, there are 2.1 million children out of school in Syria. [Ammar al-Bushy/Al Jazeera]