(CNN) Despite many claims the war in Syria is ebbing, one besieged pocket of rebel-aligned civilians near the Syrian capital is at a "critical point," says the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). They are experiencing the worst outbreak of child malnutrition yet in the savage six-year civil war, and in need of an emergency medical evacuation of more than 100 children, say UN officials. An estimated 400,000 civilians in the suburban enclave of Eastern Ghouta have suffered from both a lengthy siege and continued bombardment. The ICRC's Middle East director, Robert Mardini, warned this week: "The humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta has reached a critical point. As so often in Syria over the last six years, ordinary people are once again trapped in a situation where life slowly becomes impossible and where goods and aid are severely limited."

Source: CNN December 21, 2017 18:11 UTC