Stop carnage, flouting of
rights, international law in Syria - UN chief
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| Air strikes on al-Bara town in Syria's Idlib province (AFP) |
Ahead of the 9th anniversary of Syria’s devastating conflict
on Sunday, March 15, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres highlighted the
urgent need for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
By Robin Gomes
“The conflict in Syria is entering its tenth year. A decade
of fighting has brought nothing but ruin and misery. And civilians are
paying the gravest price. There is no military solution. Now it is the time to
give diplomacy a chance to work", UN Secretary-General wrote in a post on
his Twitter account on Thursday.
What began as peaceful pro-democracy protests against President
Bashar al-Assad in 2011, developed into a complicated conflict involving many
parties, including world powers. It has killed hundreds of thousands of
people and made millions of refugees.
Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war,
agreed on March 5 to halt military activity in Idlib after an escalation of
violence displaced nearly a million people and brought the two sides close to
confrontation.
Humanitarian crisis of monumental proportions
Overall, more than 11 million people across Syria require
aid relief, nearly half of them children, according to the latest estimates.
Fighting has displaced more than six million people inside
Syria, sometimes repeatedly, while another five million Syrians are living as
refugees beyond its borders.
“The brutal conflict has exacted an unconscionable human
cost and caused a humanitarian crisis of monumental proportions,” Guterres said
in a statement on Thursday.
"Millions of civilians continue to face protection
risks...We have seen nine years of horrific atrocities, including war crimes.
Nine years of human rights abuses on a massive and systematic scale, eroding
international norms to new depths of cruelty and suffering.”
“Tens of thousands are missing, disappeared, detained,
subjected to ill-treatment and torture. Untold numbers have been killed and
injured. There must be no impunity for such horrific crimes,” the UN chief
said.
“My message today is clear,” Guterres said. “We cannot allow
the tenth year to result in the same carnage, the same flouting of human rights
and international humanitarian law, the same inhumanity.”
The situation in Idlib governorate, in northwest Syria,
remains an urgent concern for the humanitarian community.
Worst cases of healthcare hit by war
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that only half
of the 550 health facilities in the region remain open nearly a decade after
the war began.
Syria represents one of the worst cases of healthcare being
affected by conflict, according to the UN’s health agency, with a total of 494
attacks recorded between 2016-2019, mainly in the northwest.
During that same period, 470 people were killed in attacks
on health facilities.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis has been a leading voice among world leaders
for an immediate end to the Syrian conflict and the suffering of its
people. In yet another heartfelt appeal on Sunday, the Holy Father
particularly addressed the humanitarian crisis in Idlib.
He reiterated his “great apprehension and pain for the
inhumane situation of these defenceless people, among whom are many children
whose lives are at risk”. He urged the world not to look away from this
humanitarian crisis, but to give it priority over all other interests.
Funds to saves lives
The UN and its partners are seeking $3.3 billion for the
humanitarian response in Syria this year. They also will require an
additional $5.2 billion to support Syrian refugees and host communities across
the region.
Last year, humanitarian agencies reached over six million
people each month throughout Syria. If given the needed support, they
hope to reach as many people as possible this year.
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