Over the past 33 months, news reports coming out of Syria have just progressively worsened. There are almost hourly and certainly daily reports of bombings, shootings, massacres, battles, death and misery as a loose coalition of rebel forces attempts to overthrow the government of President Bashar Al Assad.
While United Nations and Arab League have sought to build a consensus on talks — and as it stands now, all sides will meet in Geneva next month — cessation of or respite from hostilities simply cannot come quick enough. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent, in an alarming report issued on Monday, said that more than a million Syrians are at risk of starvation as checkpoints and fighting prevent food supplies from reaching civilian populations. Obviously, the worst-affected areas are those where fighting is ongoing and where city areas are bitterly contested by opposing forces.
The report also notes that some areas have gone without regular food distribution for more than a year and the communities have been living off anything that is even remotely edible. When the Geneva talks get underway, its measure of success should not be judged by whether the conflict finds a solution, but rather what humanitarian measures can be quickly implemented to end the misery and suffering of Syrians. Corridors for safe passage are badly needed — along with the silencing of the guns on all sides.
