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- Introduction
- News stories from IPS
Introduction
Syria is one of the oldest places where civilization has thought to have started. Its capital, Damascus, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Throughout history it has seen many changes, violent and otherwise.
Today it is comprised of a number of ethnic groups, mostly Arab, though a reasonable number of Kurds, Armenians are also present. There have also been a number of Iraqi refugees and the main Arab group are themselves from different sects and denominations.
Around January 2011, following on from the Arab Spring where protests against ruling regimes erupted in a number of Middle East countries, protesters in Syria came out demanding President Bashar al-Assad and his government step down. In response, Assad sent in troops with some cities and regions being besieged for weeks and months. Both pro and anti-government protest gatherings have at times been large.
Criticism of Syria’s crackdown has been quite widespread. The Arab League has responded by suspending Syria’s membership. Syria claims that it is fighting an insurgency that is terrorist by nature and claimed Al Qaeda is involved. It has not been possible to verify that claim so many see it as a cynical excuse.
The ruling regime is a sect of Shia, so has support from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, while the opposition is largely Sunni, thus receiving support from other Middle East countries, such as Saudi Arabia and others.
Thousands have been killed — civilians and armed combatants. Some are asking the West for a military intervention like there was in Libya, but the US in particular is not keen on another military intervention even though they have been openly hostile and critical of the Syrian ruling regime for many years.
China and Russia also have close ties with Syria and to date have not been keen on any action condemning Syria and have even vetoed some actions. Some papers have reported Iran and others helping Syria with weapons, while others also mentioned the opposition being armed by the West.
Mainstream media coverage is of course part of the issue; understandably the brutal regime crackdown has been met with shock, horror, etc. But the coverage has also been one-sided in the sense that similar types of violence committed by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan do not receive similar criticism, but much flatter and measured reporting instead. Media Lens covers this point in much more detail pointing out many propaganda problems in mainstream media coverage and is worth reading.
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News stories from IPS
Below is a list of stories from Inter Press Service related to the Syrian uprising
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Working to Relieve the Trauma of Syrian Earthquake Orphans
– Inter Press Service
IDILIB, SYRIA, Oct 13 (IPS) – Seven-year-old Salim al-Bakkar was orphaned in the earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, 2023.
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Syria: Deadly military academy attack ‘horrific reminder’ of need to de-escalate
– UN News
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Thursday appealed for restraint following a deadly drone attack on a military graduation ceremony in Homs, and amid rising violence in the war-ravaged country.
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UN supports ‘monumental step’ for cancer sufferers in northwest Syria
– UN News
The first radiotherapy machine to treat cancer arrived in northwest Syria over the weekend, the UN’s aid coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday.
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Confidence building critical to break Syria political deadlock
– UN News
A comprehensive solution to the Syrian conflict remains elusive, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Wednesday, calling for “concrete moves” and confidence-building measures to break the impasse.
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Syrian minister denounces ‘American chaos’, says States must respect the UN Charter
– UN News
In remarks on Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, Syrian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh underscored the need to build a multipolar world order that achieves sustainable development for all and balance in international relations, including through reforming institutions such as the Security Council.
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Syria: UN chief welcomes reopening of life-saving aid corridor
– UN News
A large UN aid convoy was able to cross into northwest Syria on Tuesday following the reopening of a vital border crossing.
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Syria: Urgent response needed to uptick in fighting, economic crisis
– UN News
The “dire needs” of Syrians have been systematically ignored during more than 12 years of brutal conflict in the country, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria warned on Tuesday.
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Syria-Türkiye: UN completes 200th cross-border aid mission since February quakes
– UN News
The United Nations on Tuesday announced that it has conducted 200 cross-border missions delivering aid into northwest Syria from Türkiye since the devastating earthquakes that struck the two countries in February.
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Syrians suffer as political stalemate persists: UN Special Envoy
– UN News
The only path out of the war in Syria is a political process, which would also help to address the many crises affecting the country, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Wednesday.
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UN: Deal reached with Syria to reopen main border crossing from Türkiye
– UN News
A deal has been reached with the Government of Syria to reopen the main border crossing from Türkiye to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.
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Syria still mired in division, top UN envoy tells Security Council
– UN News
Months of “potentially significant diplomacy” to resolve the crisis in Syria have not yielded any outcomes or political momentum for the war-weary population, both within the country and those displaced outside, the UN Special Envoy for the country said on Monday.
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Children forcibly separated from mothers at Syria’s Al Hol, warns top rights expert
– UN News
A UN-appointed independent expert expressed deep concern on Friday over the distressing treatment of children being held apparently indefinitely in prison-like conditions in northeast Syria, where they are forcibly separated from their mothers.
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In Northern Syria, Palestinians Finance Settlements in Kurdish-Occupied Areas
– Inter Press Service
ROME, Jul 18 (IPS) – The video shows an empty house with even the door frames and windows torn out. Graffiti on the wall recalls that the building was once requisitioned by the Sham Legion, an Islamist faction from northern Syria.
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Security Council fails to reach consensus on Syria aid lifeline
– UN News
Life-saving assistance to millions in northwest Syria is at risk after the UN Security Council on Tuesday failed to adopt either of two competing resolutions to extend cross-border aid delivery from Türkiye.
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UN relief chief calls for continued support for Syria and other crisis regions
– UN News
In a wide-ranging briefing on Friday, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths highlighted the need to keep aid flowing into northwest Syria and to allow Ukrainian and Russian grain exports to reach global markets amid the ongoing war.
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Syrians facing ‘ever worsening’ conditions, top UN officials warn
– UN News
Syrians are facing an “ever worsening humanitarian crisis” amid the ongoing 12-year-long conflict, top UN officials told the Security Council on Thursday, as the General Assembly adopted a resolution to create a first-of-its-kind institution to address the issue of more than 100,000 people still missing in the country.
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On Peacebuilding Day, ambassadors discuss response to organized crime in the Sahel
– UN News
The Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) convened for an ambassadorial-level meeting in New York on Friday to tackle the issue of organized crime in the Sahel. Poverty, institutional fragility and massive insecurity have created favourable conditions for the proliferation of organized crime across the vast African region.
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UN chief insists on solidarity with people of Syria, with ‘no time to spare’
– UN News
As donors gathered in Brussels at an international pledging conference for Syria organized by the European Union on Thursday, UN chief António Guterres highlighted the immense suffering of the Syrian people, which he said “defies description”.
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Syria: ‘Unprecedented funding crisis’ means cuts for 2.5 million in need, warns WFP
– UN News
An unprecedented funding crisis in Syria has forced the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to announce cuts to aid being provided for 2.5 million of the 5.5 million people who rely on the agency for basic food needs.
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Fresh diplomatic gains must match action on the ground in Syria to end war
– UN News
Action on the ground must match diplomacy’s steadily advancing gains towards ending the 12-year-old war in Syria, where violence is once again, killing a growing numbers of civilians, the top UN official in the country said on Tuesday.
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Millions of children still facing dire conditions 100 days after Türkiye-Syria quakes: UNICEF
– UN News
More than six million boys and girls in Türkiye and Syria are still struggling to cope 100 days after the deadly earthquakes that hit both countries, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Wednesday.
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Almost $15 billion needed for earthquake recovery in Syria
– UN News
Syria needs almost $15 billion to recover following the devastating February earthquakes, according to a new UN assessment report launched on Monday in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
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Syria: UN envoy points to ‘important juncture’ in efforts towards peace
– UN News
Renewed diplomatic attention on Syria in the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquakes that hit the country and neighbouring Türkiye could help to unlock stalled peace efforts, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Thursday.
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WHO mission to Syria quake zone boosts protection from disease outbreaks
– UN News
The World Health Organization (WHO) has carried out a month-long field mission to areas of northwest Syria devastated by the February earthquakes there, and in Türkiye, helping stem the risk of further disease outbreaks or full-blown epidemics.
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First Person: ‘Simple dreams’ of Syrians following earthquake
– UN News
Syrians whose lives have been upended by a 12-year civil war and a catastrophic earthquake are looking to return home and rebuild their lives.
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‘Bring them home’: UN experts call for repatriating detained Syria children
– UN News
Independent UN-appointed human rights experts on Friday called for the urgent repatriation of children from northeast Syria, as they enter their fifth year of detention.
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Türkiye, Syria quake response continues, food security threat rising
– UN News
Almost two months after deadly earthquakes struck Türkiye and northern Syria, a large-scale humanitarian operation is underway for which funding is still desperately needed, the UN Humanitarian Affairs coordination office (OCHA) said on Friday.
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ILO calls for fresh support as job losses grip post-quake Türkiye and Syria
– UN News
Urgent support is needed to prevent a slide into poverty and an increase in child labour and hand-to-mouth jobs, following the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in February, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Tuesday in new assessment reports.
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UN chief calls for new tool to find 100,000 ‘disappeared’ Syrians
– UN News
Top UN officials called for creating a new institution to help locate tens of thousands of missing Syrians and bring peace to their families, as the General Assembly debated on Tuesday the human rights situation in the country.
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Deadly Syria earthquake provides chance to move forward: UN envoy
– UN News
Renewed diplomatic attention on Syria, and the suffering of its people following the recent deadly earthquake, create new obligations and opportunities to forge lasting peace, UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Thursday.
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