War-mongers in Syria are immune to the human tragedy

The heart rending images of the Syrian toddler Omran Daqneesh, covered in dust, sitting in an ambulance with blood pouring down his head, summed up the human tragedy of the Syrian civil war. It may be that the pathos of this moment caught on film might change the mood of a largely indifferent world, as happened last year when the picture of the drowned Aylan Kurdi lying on a beach changed the mood in Europe over the Syrian refugees for a few weeks.

But the miserable reality is that there is little hope that the foreign powers involved in the Syrian civil war will pay much attention. And there is no movement from the many Syrian elements to make peace between themselves. Far too many people see far too much immediate advantage from continuing the war for tiny Omran’s fate to make enough difference. And Omran and his family are among 1.5 to 2 million people trapped in east Aleppo where almost 19,000 adults and 4,500 children have been killed in the four years of siege.

The war mongers in Syria are immune to the human tragedy of their actions so it is crucial that those who do care make as much effort as they can. This is why the UAE’s repeated actions to help the Syrian refugees are so important. By a grim coincidence, Omran’s pictures coincided with World Humanitarian Day which was focused on the theme of shared humanity all across the world which Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, emphasized is at the core of the UAE’s vision and Emirati traditions and customs. She pointed out that since 2012 the UAE has provided humanitarian help valued at Dh2.65 billion for Syrian refugees in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

This kind of practical action is desperately needed because the survivors of the violence face many years of continuing chaos in their country. The lack of political momentum towards peace was exemplified by UN special envoy, Staffan de Mistura, who suspended the weekly meeting in Geneva of the humanitarian taskforce after eight minutes to indicate his frustration that not a single aid convoy had managed to reach besieged areas of Syria since the start of August. The UN envoy said that the international backers of both Syrian forces and the opposition must support the plans for aid. It is hard to believe that much will happen despite Omran’s fate.