Syria:The Conflict Continues

The United Nations said today that both sides in Syria are committing war crimes. Both the so-called rebels, and Assad’s forces are committing horrible crimes such as torture, killings, and spreading terror in the nearly two-year conflict. Many citizen journalists demonstrate the atrocities on a daily basis. All a person needs to do is visit YouTube and perform a search on “Syria” to see the proof.

Foreign ministers from the European Union have announced that current sanctions against Syria will be kept for the next 3 months and that arming the rebels has again been rejected. The E.U. and America are afraid that if they arm the rebels, the weapons will end up in Al Qaeda hands. It is being reported that the terrorist group Hezbollah has sent 1,000 fighters to the district of Homs to defend the mainly Shiite villages whose people support Assad. For those who don’t know, Hezbollah is supported in all ways possible by Iran and Syria.

The Syrian minister for national reconciliation said today that he is ready to talk to armed opposition groups. This is first time this offer has been made. So I wonder why the change of heart; because in January President Assad said he wouldn’t talk to the armed groups. Russia said today that they will be sending planes to Syria tomorrow, to deliver aid and pick up Russian citizens that want to leave the country.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria is huge. I believe all countries that can, should be sending aid to the Syrian people. The Local administration minister of Syria has said that after nearly two years of fighting, damage to infrastructure across Syria is estimated to be around $11 billion dollars. “Syria is suffering a war that is affecting all the infrastructure of the state” Ghalawanji said in a speech to parliament broadcast by state television.

As I said earlier, this has turned into a massive humanitarian disaster; not just for Syria, but for the surrounding countries. Saudi Arabia has reported that as much as 90,000 people have died in Syria since the conflict began. Nearly one million people have fled the Syrian violence and refugee camps in surrounding countries are being pushed to the maximum. Just in Lebanon alone, there are approximately 283,000 refugees. In Jordan there are around 175,000, and in Turkey the number is 164,000.

What needs to be done to end this conflict is unknown. Both sides of this conflict had previously been unwilling to sit down and have talks without preconditions. Both America and the E.U., and other Arab nations have been mulling some kind of intervention. But the question in their minds is whether intervention will make things better or worse for the people of Syria. The ticking clock is nearing its final countdown. The longer this war is allowed to continue, the worse the consequences will be for the region, and possibly the world.

Syrian Refugees