Syrian Conflict Disaster

Once again, Syrian troops have dueled with rebels on the outskirts of Eastern Ghouta. Russia had just sponsored a truce between the rebels and the Syrian government, so this battle between them came as a shock to some since the fight has been going on for several days now. Ever since Wednesday morning, when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tried to conjure a ceasefire, the Syrian forces have been trapped in a very lethal and vicious fight with the rebels. As reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the rebels have had control of this area since 2013.  Every day, there is a regular pause in the fighting to evacuate the injured and provide medical supplies and food to the estimated 400,000 residents trapped inside the Damascus suburb.

It is predicted by war monitors that hundreds, perhaps even thousands more, could perish if the fighting does not stop soon. Since the fighting started Tuesday, four people have already been killed and many more have been injured by aerial bombing and artillery fire that resulted from an implementation of a truce. Government bombing jets have been been focusing their attacks on the centre of Douma, Misraba, and Harasta. These cities are now some of the frontlines of the battle zones between the rebels and the Syrian government. Now, the citizens are not being evacuated whatsoever. They are trapped inside the cities, facing a tornado of tears, death, and empty shells.

Russia is holding the Syrian rebels responsible for not implementing the truce that Russia was sponsoring. Due to this deviating factor, Russia is blocking aid from being delivered to demolished citizens inside the enclave. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said last Wednesday that the citizens needed to “act” now that Russia has implemented safe corridors. The United Nations are continuing to support and help Moscow troops in conquering the terrorist threat. The rebels in Syria, on the other hand, have denied what the Foreign Minister said. They said that if people are going to cross into government territory, what’s to stop them from being arrested, detained, or worse? It seems like the thing everyone is striving for but having difficulty reaching is a ceasefire. The Eastern Ghouta area has been under aerial domination from bombardment planes since February 18th. The death count as of right now is 550 innocent civilians and is continuing to climb.