One year later, “the situation is devastating” – DW – 05/02/2024

For Maryam Abu Atban, it is hard to believe that a full year has passed since her life was destroyed by a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake.

Memories of the early hours of February 6, 2023 are still painfully vivid for the 42-year-old mother.

“When the sun rose, half my family died,” she said. “We now live in a tent, a few meters away from where two of our children died under the rubble of our house,” she told DW in Jindires, a small town in northwestern Syria.

She said while crying: “My husband wanted to leave, but I refused because no matter where we go, their images remain before our eyes.”

According to the United Nations, at least 6,000 Syrians were killed in the earthquake. However, other organizations have put the death toll closer to 8,000, and the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an NGO, lists 10,024 deaths.

Assad burnishes his reputation in fragmented Syria

It is impossible to collect an official figure, such as the number of people killed in the cross-border earthquake in Turkey, which stood at 50,783, among the various authorities that retain de facto control over different parts of Syria.

After 13 years of civil war, the country was divided into areas controlled by the government of President Bashar al-Assad, with Russian and Iranian support, and others controlled by opposition groups and militias supported by Turkey, the United States, and others.

This political division helped re-establish Assad's position as leader of the Syrian state. He insisted for days after the quake that any aid to Syria — which was immediately provided by the United Nations, Russia, Iran and about a dozen neighboring Arab countries — including the rebel-controlled northwest of the country, must pass through Damascus, the government says. Controlled capital.

Two of Maryam Abu Atban's children died in the earthquake of February 6, 2023. Photo: Omar Albam/DW Underfunded and out of focus

However, a year later, the situation in the country has not improved.

“Syria remains in a very devastating situation,” Julian Barnes-Dacey, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told DW.

He added that instead of any improvement, “Syria has fallen off the international agenda, and we are witnessing a drying up of funding levels.”

“One year later, the humanitarian and economic crises in Syria have worsened,” said Heba Zayadin, senior researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch.

“Many damaged buildings remain intact, and funding for UN agencies is dwindling at a time when an increasing number of people depend almost entirely on aid to survive,” she added.

Abdul Razzaq Khaled Al-Sah had to borrow money to buy a tent as no organization was able to provide him temporary shelter after the earthquake. Photo: Omar Al-Bam/DW

This applies to Abdul Razzaq Khaled Al-Sah, who lost 10 members of his family and his home in the earthquake.

“A year ago, I was back below zero and I couldn't help,” he told DW in Jenderes. “No one gave me a tent, so I had to borrow money and buy one, and no one has compensated me yet.”

“Last year, the humanitarian response plan for Syria was only 38% funded, which is the most underfunded plan, in percentage terms, since the beginning of the crisis in 2011,” said David Cardin, the United Nations Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syrian Crisis.

“Progress has been made since the earthquakes, but the response is severely underfunded, and we can only do more with fewer resources,” he added.

He agreed that “the long-term consequences of the earthquakes are still being felt by Syrian communities today, in addition to active hostilities, economic decline, and increasing food shortages.”

According to the United Nations World Food Programme, Syria is among the ten countries in the world with the largest number of hungry people, and about 12.9 million Syrians – more than half the population – suffer from hunger.

Despite this, the World Food Program announced in January that it would end its food aid program in Syria due to a “funding crisis.”

“Most Syrians are now focused on surviving day to day as Syria continues to unravel, including ongoing collapse and the government’s inability to provide any meaningful services or potential for improvement,” Barnes-Dacey said.

Assad's rise after the earthquake

The humanitarian situation is not only dire in the rebel-controlled northwest, but also in government-controlled areas.

“The situation has become much worse since the earthquake,” Wafaa Mustafa, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy in Washington, told DW.

“This may or may not be directly related to the earthquake itself, but it is certainly related to political developments after the earthquake,” she added.

Aid trucks stopped for several days at the border crossing from Turkey into Syria while the United Nations waited for permission to cross. Photo: Omar Haj Kaddour/AFP/Getty Images

Because of the earthquake, many Arab countries, even those that cut ties with Assad, offered to deliver aid.

This paved the way for renewed talks, and three months later, in May 2023, Assad was accepted back into the Arab League.

The 22-nation group suspended Syria's membership in the organization in 2011 as a result of a crackdown on the local population.

According to various estimates, between half a million and 650,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war so far, Assad's forces have been accused of carrying out poison gas attacks against parts of the population, and thousands have disappeared into the country's notorious prisons.

Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and their repercussions

To watch this video, please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

“It is clear that the current situation gives President Assad room to maintain his position without a lot of pressure, as no one is bringing political attention or money to the table, and all the issues associated with that are slipping away from our hands,” said Barnes Dicey of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

For Wafa Mustafa, it is clear that “Bashar al-Assad still enjoys impunity when it comes to accountability for crimes that occurred in the past, but also for crimes that continue within his regions.

“What remains of this country says a lot about the impunity enjoyed by the Assad regime, but also about the world order that I believe is failing Syrians time and time again,” she added.

Edited by: Sean M. Sinico

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos