This month, after two massive earthquakes claimed thousands of lives and flattened entire towns and villages in the country’s northwest, the world finally started paying some attention to Syria.
The devastation caused by the disaster grabbed international headlines, and governments pledged to deliver aid to affected areas.
This renewed focus on Syria is much needed and welcome, but long overdue.
Syria’s humanitarian crisis did not start with the February 6 earthquakes. Before this month’s disaster, seven in 10 Syrians – some 15.3 million people – were already unable to meet their basic needs. Millions were suffering the many consequences of seemingly never-ending conflict, and a shocking 90 percent of the population was considered to be living in poverty.
For too long, the international community turned a blind eye to the growing humanitarian crisis in Syria. In fact, many in the West did not even know Syria’s brutal conflict is not yet over until this month’s earthquake returned the country to the global spotlight. Indeed, a poll commissioned in the United Kingdom by our charity, Syria Relief, in 2021 – during one of the most intense moments in the conflict and as humanitarian needs spiralled to unprecedented levels – revealed that only 58 percent of Britons were aware that the Syrian war was still ongoing at that time.
The international community was indifferent to and ignorant of Syrian suffering until this month’s tragic events for several reasons: media apathy towards a conflict that has been going on for more than 10 years, the West becoming more insular and focussed on its own immediate problems, the prevalence of a “charity begins at home” mindset amid a global economic downturn…
Of course, none of these is an acceptable excuse for ignoring the plight of Syrians. I believe charity should begin where the needs are greatest and Syrians, suffering from several interconnected crises, have been in desperate need of humanitarian assistance for more than 10 years.
Since the February 6 earthquakes, Syria finally started to receive, to a certain extent, the attention it deserves and the assistance it needs from the world. But can we be certain that the international community will not abandon Syria once another crisis starts dominating the news cycle?
I recall the devastating aftermath of the blast that ripped through the port of Beirut in 2020. I remember how the entire world suddenly started to pay attention to the problems that had plagued Lebanon for at least a generation – the problems that paved the way for the explosion. I remember how the great and the good said action would be taken, help would come, and no longer would the global community leave Lebanon without any support. Regrettably, this dedication lasted only a few weeks – if that. Today, the economic and political turmoil in Lebanon is worse than ever.
I also remember how in 2021, when Gaza was under bombardment, so many in positions of power said they were outraged and promised action. Their determination, of course, lasted only a single news cycle. The blockaded enclave was again under attack just a few weeks later.
Last year, Pakistan and war-torn Yemen suffered from fatal floods. There were news reports, pledges and promises of help, but the world’s attention dried up faster than the floodwaters.
