Did we forget about Syria?

La Siria sta vivendo una guerra civile che va avanti dal 2011. Come nel caso di molte crisi umanitarie che durano anni, della Siria ci siamo dimenticati.

The last decades, history saw many humanitarian crisis, con similar features. These distinctive traits include the armed conflicts in the territory, institutions unable to keep order and stability end the habit to be easily forgotten by international public, becoming less appealing news. Syria is a typical example. Nowadays, the Country faces one of the worst humanitarian crisis of the century, often neglected.

All started in 2011, when a civil war sprung out in Syria, dividing the Country in different control and interference areas. Besides the complex internal political dynamics, the population has been the main victims of this conflict. To give an idea, since 2020 people in need of help have raised by 30%, overcoming 15 million people.

To further complicate the situation, in February 2023 a 7,8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkye, involving 8,8 million people in Syria. This event added a dramatic complexity level to the equation. The situation is even more difficult for families living in refugee camps, where gender violence happens that endangers refugees’ mental health. Since 2012, half of northern Syria population has lived in refugee camps with sever infrastructure lacks: lac of energy, drinkable water, health facilities and instruction.

This takes to a political issue, on which I wrote in the article “Siria, un Paese in guerra e senza soccorsi” (in Italian): the physical impossibility international organization, like the United Nations, encountered in accessing the North-West rebel territories, the most devastated by the earthquake and civil war, because of a phenomenon typical of Basjar al-Assad regime: politization of aids.

Currently, Syria has trouble seeing a better future than the present, Recently, some cities in southern Syria, like Suwayda and Daara, were theater of anti-government protests. These protests were accompanied by occasional attacks by the Islamic State and increasing air and earth bombing in the North-west area. Anti-government protests include slogans hostile to Bashar al-Assad regime. Nonetheless, it’s improbable that these protests, although significant, impact on the regime.

Daraa is mainly interested by the Country’s difficult economic situation, worsened by Damasco’s abolishment of fuel aids, which caused an increase in consumption products’ prices in all the Country, included areas out of regime’s control. è principalmente interessata alle difficili condizioni economiche nel Paese, aggravate dall'annuncio di Damasco dell'abolizione dei sussidi sui carburanti, che ha causato un aumento dei prezzi delle merci di consumo in tutto il Paese, comprese le aree fuori dal controllo del regime.

Suwayda, on the other side, openly protests against Damasco and uses an anti-regime rhetoric, but actually doesn’t menace the central government’s power ecosystem. At the same time, strikes and closed shops occurred in many Syrian cities, from Homs to Aleppo, from Damasco to Hama. However, these protests were not able to unite in one national initiative, for the territorial, social, political and economic fragmentation caused by the war and the political and cultural polarization present in Syria.

All this bring to que question of peace prospectives in Syria. It seems like today no one wants to alter in a substantial way the delicate equilibrium reached in over a decade of military and political conflict. Recently, Russian aviation has intensified bombing against Levant Liberation Committee (HTS) in Idlib region. This provoked a HTS and other armed groups’ reaction who are out of Damasco control. However, neither HTS nor Syria and its Russian ally want to change the political and military equation in Idlib. The strategic status quo seems to facilitate both parties, out of the necessary resources to occupy or manage the land possibly conquered by the rival. Meanwhile, civil population is still the victim.

At an international level, political and diplomatic relationships between Syria and the Arab Countries were strengthened, with Saud Arabia and United Arab Emirates showing economic interest in reconstructing the Country. A livello internazionale, c'è stata una ripresa delle relazioni politiche e diplomatiche tra la Siria e i Paesi Arabi, con l'Arabia Saudita e gli Emirati Arabi Uniti che mostrano un interesse economico nella ricostruzione del Paese. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates’ interest in only economic: they don’t care about stabilizing the Syrian state. Although Saudi Arabian’s embassy in Damasco has not open yet, Saudi companies, like Seven Wells for Phosphate Investment LLC, access to Syrian phosphates indicates a gradual financial vicinity among the two Countries and a lack of interest in stabilizing the Syrian State.

The European Union is one of the main donors to Syrian humanitarian aids through Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). Despite all this large scale support, the recontruction of essential infrastructures in Syria, like health facilities, schools, water treatment facilities, is a monumental challenge for the stability needed for adequate humanitarian aids. EU tries to cooperate with local communities to spread resilience and invest in local people’s training to guarantee the Country a long term rebirth. This effort is crucial, beside direct financial assistance, because it offers a perspective of hope for Syria’s future.

In conclusion, war in Syria must keep being a global priority. The international community must put efforts in searching a compromise that enables to mediate between factions in conflict, thus starting the crucial infrastructure betterment process. At the core of this reconstruction operation, the population’s protection and wellbeing must be of primary importance for Syrian political leaders. It is essential that political and economic interest are put aside on behave of common good. After the devastating catastrophe of February 2023 earthquake, the undeniable priority must be territory reconstruction, aiming at forging a stable and resilient State for the future.

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