The Syrian war is undeniably one of the most tragic and devastating conflicts the humanity has witnessed in modern history. And today, one decade into the catastrophic war, it is almost impossible to grasp the actual extent of the war and its impact on the Syrian people nor can we foresee how and when the nightmare will end.
The fighting seems to have subsided in the past few years. But there is one element of the Syrian catastrophe that remains with us today, one that not only will affect the country for generations but will haunt us all for as long as we live — the human cost of the war. The world failed the Syrians for 10 years and still does.
When the Syrian uprising began 10 years ago at the height of the so-called Arab Spring, which saw the overthrow of few Arab regimes, no one expected the popular protests will lead to a decade of atrocities, displacement, and the emergence of many terror groups.
The political talks, which began few years ago, have stalled. It seems most of the parties are content with the status quo. Meanwhile the Syrian people continue to suffer. The past year was especially painful, with the Coronavirus adding to their misery. Also, the continuing sanctions and the political isolation denies the Syrians essential aid.
Today, at least half the country’s entire population has been uprooted, with some 12 million people in internal displacement or living as refugees, according to the United Nations. Syrian refugees have sought asylum in more than 125 countries, but the vast majority live in neighbouring countries within the region, such as Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.
A very high cost
The toll death is astonishingly high. According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 388,652 have been killed in the past 10 years. The UN says 12,000 of them are children, although the Syrian observatory says the number is almost double — 22,000 children.
“Since 2011, nearly 12,000 children were verified as killed or injured in Syria, that’s one child every eight hours over the past ten years. As we all know, these are children that the UN was able to verify as having been killed or injured, and the actual numbers are likely to be much higher”, the United Nations’ children welfare agency, UNICEF’s Representative in Syria, Bo Viktor Nylund says in comments marking the war anniversary.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, says Syria continues to be a “living nightmare” as almost half of the Syrian children have never seen a day without war. At least 60 per cent of them, he notes, are at risk of starvation.
The political talks, which began few years ago, have stalled. It seems most of the parties are content with the status quo. Meanwhile the Syrian people continue to suffer. The past year was especially painful, with the Coronavirus adding to their misery. Also, the continuing sanctions and the political isolation denies the Syrians essential aid.
A first step towards a solution to the agony of the people is to bring back Syria into the Arab fold and then, in some way, internationally. That shouldn’t be seen as a reward for the regime, but for the sake of the Syrian people.
