‘We died, our families died, even the grass died’: Waer residents describe life under siege

Before the civil war broke out in Syria, Waer was an affluent suburb northwest of Homs city built in the 1980s. Residents of Homs city referred to the suburban district as “New Homs.”

Today, Waer as it was is hardly recognizable.

In 2014, when the Syrian regime retook the adjacent Homs city from rebel forces, only Waer remained outside the grasp of Assad’s forces. Waer and its 125,000 residents were surrounded by at least 21 regime military checkpoints, still currently in place.

Despite a UN-brokered truce in December 2015, residents say the regime-imposed siege remains entirely in place.

Food and medicine don’t make it past checkpoints encircling Waer, while electricity is cut off.

Residents told Syria Direct this month that no food, medicine or fuel had entered Waer for nearly two and a half months.