Urgent need for halt to bombardment

There is too much blood being spilled in Syria. Too many innocent civilian lives being lost. Too many homes and neighbourhoods coming under shelling and being destroyed. The level of violence is too much and the country is becoming divided. Syria cannot afford such heightened levels of confrontation as its continuation will tear apart the entire society.

The recent developments in Syria are alarming to say the least. It is obvious that the situation has been elevated with the involvement of international players. Russia has warned against any outside intervention in the country — which came following the visit of its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Syria. Russia and China had vetoed a draft UN resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on protesters and calling for reforms. There has also been talk of pushing for alternative plans, an idea that has been proposed by Turkey and discussed by the US.

The UN chief Ban Ki-moon has accused the Syrian army of "appalling brutality" against civilians. The death toll in areas under attack, especially in Homs, has been going up day after day. Hundreds have been killed and wounded following barrages of mortars and gunfire.

There seems to be a systematic approach by the regime of Bashar Al Assad in handling the protests — an iron-fist policy that destroys all that comes in its way: children, women, elderly, homes, hospitals, schools, and roads. Yet the biggest question of all now is where would all these developments lead to.

There is an urgent need to find solutions and an end to the ongoing onslaught in Syria. And this will require the cooperation and coordination of all the parties concerned. The need for such a direction is paramount given the fact that the country is in danger of falling victim to civil war.