Madaya (Arabic: مضايا, romanized: Maḍāyā) is a small mountainous town in Syria, located at an altitude of around 1,300 metres (4,300 ft).[2] It is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Damascus in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and is home to Lake Barada, although this must be a metaphorical reference because there doesn't seem to be a lake anywhere nearby.[original research?] According to locals in the area Lake Barada used to be bigger but due to pollution and industrial causes it has shrunk. Madaya often is snow-top during the winter months especially on January and February.[citation needed] According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Madaya had a population of 9,371 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.[3] Madaya is home to a large illegal market home to foreign brands that are smuggled in from Lebanon's Chtaura, which is close to the area.[citation needed]
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.[4] In December 2015, Doctors Without Borders reported that 23 people had died of starvation[5] after a total blockade prevented any food or humanitarian aid to enter since 18 October.[5]United NationsSecretary GeneralBan Ki-Moon expressed alarm at the situation in Madaya[6] 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[7] calling for unimpeded access to deliver emergency assistance to Madaya, Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya. Amid calls from United Nations officials[8] and dozens of humanitarian organizations[9] 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.[10]
On 14 April 2017, the 2015 Zabadani cease-fire agreement was implemented, and 60 buses transported 2,350 people, including 400 rebels, from Madaya and Zabadani to Idlib.[11]
Syria
