This month, after two huge earthquakes claimed 1000’s of lives and flattened total cities and villages within the nation’s northwest, the world lastly began paying some consideration to Syria. The devastation brought on by the catastrophe grabbed worldwide headlines, and governments pledged to ship help to affected areas.
This renewed give attention to Syria is far wanted and welcome, however lengthy overdue.
Syria’s humanitarian disaster didn’t begin with the February 6 earthquakes. Earlier than this month’s catastrophe, seven in 10 Syrians – some 15.3 million folks – had been already unable to fulfill their primary wants. Thousands and thousands had been struggling the numerous penalties of the seemingly endless battle, and a surprising 90 % of the inhabitants was thought-about to be residing in poverty.
For too lengthy, the worldwide group turned a blind eye to the rising humanitarian disaster in Syria. The truth is, many within the West did not even know Syria’s brutal battle isn’t but over till this month’s earthquake returned the nation to the worldwide highlight. Certainly, a ballot commissioned in the UK by our charity, Syria Aid, in 2021 – throughout one of the crucial intense moments within the battle and as humanitarian wants spiraled to unprecedented ranges – revealed that solely 58 % of Britons had been conscious that the Syrian conflict was nonetheless ongoing at the moment.
The worldwide group was detached to and blind to Syrian struggling till this month’s tragic occasions for a number of causes: media apathy towards a battle that has been occurring for greater than 10 years, the West changing into extra insular and centered by itself fast issues, the The prevalence of a “charity begins at residence” mindset amid a world financial downturn…
In fact, none of those is an appropriate excuse for ignoring the plight of Syrians. I imagine charity ought to start the place the wants are biggest and Syrians, affected by a number of interconnected crises, have been in determined want of humanitarian help for greater than 10 years.
Because the February 6 earthquakes, Syria has lastly began to obtain, to a sure extent, the eye it deserves and the help it wants from the world. However can we make certain that the worldwide group won’t abandon Syria as soon as one other disaster begins dominating the information cycle?
I recall the devastating aftermath of the blast that ripped by way of the port of Beirut in 2020. I keep in mind how all the world all of the sudden began to concentrate to the issues that had plagued Lebanon for not less than a technology – the issues that paved the way in which for the explosion. I keep in mind how the good and the great stated motion could be taken, assist would come, and not would the worldwide group go away Lebanon with none assist. Regrettably, this dedication lasted only some weeks – if that. At present, the financial and political turmoil in Lebanon is worse than ever.
I additionally keep in mind how in 2021, when Gaza was beneath bombardment, so many in positions of energy stated they had been outraged and promised motion. Their dedication, after all, lasted solely a single information cycle. The blockaded enclave was once more beneath assault just some weeks later.
Final 12 months, Pakistan and war-torn Yemen suffered from deadly floods. There have been information reviews, pledges and guarantees of assist, however the world’s consideration dried up quicker than the floodwaters.
Now, I’m afraid the identical will quickly occur to Syria. I’m afraid that when a brand new disaster grabs the headlines, the plight of the Syrian folks can be forgotten.
This week marks one 12 months because the begin of the Ukraine conflict. On this anniversary, the media consideration will understandably flip to Ukraine, and the human struggling nonetheless being brought on by this battle. This, nevertheless, shouldn’t be on the expense of the Syrians. We can’t afford to give attention to a single disaster at a time, and permit media consideration to resolve who will get to be supported or saved.
At present there’s a humanitarian disaster in Syria. Nevertheless, the February 6 earthquakes didn’t begin this disaster – they solely exacerbated it. The state of affairs bought this unhealthy as a result of the worldwide group did comparatively little to deal with the basis causes of Syria’s many issues for a few years. At present, Syrians are struggling not a pure catastrophe however a man-made one.
Now that the world is as soon as once more Syria because of the earthquakes, it mustn’t look away. Governments and UN our bodies should deal with this tragedy as a wake-up name – they need to not solely take motion to swiftly meet the pressing humanitarian wants of the Syrian folks, but additionally begin working in the direction of securing a long-lasting, simply and sustainable peace within the nation. We, the general public, should strain our leaders to behave. We should make sure that they don’t merely transfer on to the following tragedy, downside or battle as soon as the earthquakes fall off the information agenda.
The West and the broader world have the posh to maneuver on after they grow to be bored of the myriad issues going through Syria – however Syrians, particularly these within the earthquake-hit northwest, should not. They don’t have any straightforward method out of the world which has lengthy been devastated by battle and is now additionally a pure catastrophe zone – an space so remoted and closed up that high-level UN negotiations need to happen on a six-monthly foundation to even get primary humanitarian help into the area.
At present Syrians are struggling a lot as a result of the world has been ignoring their plight for years. The earthquakes precipitated a lot destruction and ache in Syria as a result of they tore by way of what was already a hotspot of poverty and deprivation. We must always make sure that the world doesn’t flip its again on Syrians once more – if it does, the harm it causes could be worse than that of 100 pure disasters.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially replicate Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
