The Yarmouk refugee camp situated in the heart of of the Syrian capital
Damascus has become a big test for the conscience of the big powers,
humanitarian organizations and the entire modern world. The camp has
been under siege by the Assad regime forces for the last three years.
Yarmouk which current houses 50,000 refugees is facing one of the worst
humanitarian crises of modern history. Due to heavy bombardment and
continuous shelling, the entire camp has been transformed into a big
prison where people are living without water, sanitation and medical
facilities. Because of the lack of food and medical facilities,
children are dying and people are forced to use grass to feed their
families. Many are dying of starvation and horrible pictures of starving
people are coming out of the camp, but the UN and the world’s most
powerful nations are sitting silently and doing nothing to end the
misery of innocent people. A few days ago, forces of the Assad regime stopped aid agencies who were trying to enter camp. Regime snipers continuously target innocent people and even women and children are not safe. The reality is that with the failure of the world community to act and the blind support of Iran and Russia for the Assad regime, the people of Syria have very little hope for the success of the Geneva II conference. A regime which is using barrel bombs and has targeted civilian areas for the last three years must brought to justice in the International Criminal Court.
Khawaja Umer Farooq, Jeddah
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