18/01/2019
The crisis in Syria is one of staggering proportions. It has led to the displacement of more than five million Syrian refugees into Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. A further number, in excess of six million, have been displaced and made homeless within Syria. These people are still caught within the frightening environment created by Bashar Hafez al-Assad.
Assad has been the President of Syria since 17 July 2000. He is also commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party's branch in Syria. He is a son of Hafez al-Assad, who was President of Syria from 1971 to 2000. Born and raised in Damascus, Assad graduated from the medical school of Damascus University in 1988 and began to work as a doctor in the Syrian Army. He then studied further in the UK.
He had been seen by many states as a potential reformer, partly perhaps for the way he had been viewed when studying in the UK. However, the United States, the European Union and the majority of the Arab League called for Assad's resignation from the presidency following his crackdowns and military sieges on Arab Spring protesters. The situation led to the Syrian Civil War, during which Assad pressed forward with horrific attacks against his own citizens.
An inquiry by the United Nations reported finding evidence implicating Assad in war crimes during the Syrian Civil War. In June 2014, Assad's name was included in a list of war crimes indictments of government officials and rebels, which was handed to the International Criminal Court. Assad has rejected allegations of war crimes and criticised the American-led intervention in Syria for attempting regime change. However, outside of Syria, the actions of the Assad regime and its actions are subject to vilification by most countries, with only Russia offering support.
There are 13.5 million people in need, of whom 6 million are children.
Neighbouring countries have remained incredibly generous in hosting large refugee populations since the start of the crisis. They have offered asylum and protection, made public services available to refugees, and enabled more and more refugees to participate in the local economy. This is in spite of the impact it has had on their own development.
Dealing with such an extremely high number of refugees is obviously challenging. About 5.6 million Syrian refugees are currently registered across the region, and there has now been more than one million newly born in displacement.
Amin Awad, the UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq, said; “These one million children have largely been born into a situation where poverty and unemployment are common, early marriage and child labour occur, and an education is not always secure." He also said; “It is critical that the international community continues to recognise the plight of Syrian refugees and provides vital support to host governments and 3RP partners to help shoulder this massive burden, while waiting for voluntary return in safety and dignity.”
Since its inception in 2015, the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) has been at the forefront of responding to the impact of the Syria crisis in five neighboring refugee-hosting countries. Some USD $12 billion has been channeled through the 3RP’s 270 humanitarian and development partners since 2015 to help address the challenges facing refugee and vulnerable host communities, in support of national efforts.
So, rather than complaining about Syrian refugees coming to the UK, it would be nice to see people in the UK recognise the incredible efforts made by countries and individuals in the region and pledge to do more to help those displaced by Assad's terror campaign against his own citizens.
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