The number count will not stop — of those injured and killed. The highest toll of the conflict in Syria is of the innocent civilians who are trapped in what seems to be a protracted fight.
These mounting casualties are also the hardest part to reconcile with. If the politics of diplomacy is being given yet another opportunity, the world community then should be prepared to facilitate additional refugees as the fighting is expected to intensify even further.
All international aid organisations fear an escalation in the situation for the Syrian refugees. Peter Maurer, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has described the refugee crisis as worsening, “exceptionally”.
The organisation is meeting up with Syrian officials to examine the impact of the overall situation on the civilian population and that on the refugees who are fleeing the county. The purpose is “to follow up on points agreed last April, such as expanded access to persons detained in Syria and the imperative necessity of helping civilians affected by hostilities”, Maurer said.
Furthermore, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees said that the number of refugees in August alone was more than 103,000 — the highest in a single month. They constitute about half of the total number of registered refugees in neighbouring countries.
The numbers point to a grim reality. They are indicative of the plight of thousands of civilians who are fleeing the violence and a state of instability. Many of the refugees are in fact seeking asylum wherever they can simply because of the level of violence and more importantly because of the uncertainty as to when it will end.
And it is this uncertainty about their future that makes the situation of the Syrian refugees difficult and necessitates action. The fact that there are many refugees who are unregistered with any aid organisation further complicates the situation. If any action is needed to be taken now on Syria, it should be aimed at sparing the civilians from the onslaught.
