Reporting by Ammar Khasawneh
(Zaman Al Wasl)- The systematic policy of forced displacement in Syria, pursuing by the Syrian regime, have pushed Syrian activists, journalists, legal rights activists, and politicians to launch the “No To Forced Displacement in Syria” campaign to pressure the international community to stop the regime’s criminal policies to change the demography in Syria.
The campaign, which many see as having hope in end the suffering of the Syrian people, who are being forced to leave their land and possessions to be replaced by those who support the al-Assad regime from the Shiite fighters of Iraq, Iran and Lebanon and who have the right in owning property in Syria.
The journalist Mohammad Hasan, a coordinating member of the campaign team, said to Zaman al-Wasl that they started the campaign after calls from activists inside Syria which received much response form Syrians abroad. It led them to coordinate the launch of the campaign and organize activist and journalist groups to manage the campaign and expand it.
Mohammad Hasan clarified that they also coordinated with politicians to put pressure on the international community and the United Nations to stop the forced displacement indicating that they are prepared to launch a series of vigils and demonstrations in many countries and capitals in the world, among them: America, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Turkey, Lebanon and other countries. He indicated that the campaign team are preparing a film about the forced displacements in Syria, and it will be presented in many countries for different societies to become aware of the issue.
In a context of the campaign activities, Mohammad Hasan said, “we held a press conference on Friday evening in the Turkish city, Gaziantep, to clarify to everyone that the campaign is completely Syrian, it is not funded, and it will not be, and it is also not subordinate to any political actors or party, and the campaign will continue until its goals are achieved with its team who have the spirit of the revolution and the peaceful movement.”
The activist Mulhim al-Hasni, one of the coordinators working in the campaign, said to Zaman al-Wasl that one of the most important reasons that pushed them to start the campaign is the silence of the United Nations and the international community towards what is happening, and the Security Council’s inability to execute international decisions because of the Russian veto which always stands to protect al-Assad and his regime.
Al-Hasni mentioned that the al-Assad regime purposefully works to besiege people, uses hunger as a weapon, bombs them with different weapons to force them to submit to what is called an ‘accord’. It then forces the Free Syrian Army fighters in the area to hand over their weapons and forces the residents to leave their areas. This happened in the city of al-Qasir in Homs, and in the city of Daraya and in many other Syrian areas. He added that one of the most important aims of the campaign is maintain the unity of Syria, people and land, and stand against the al-Assad regime and its policies to dismantle the Syrian fabric.
The No to Forced Displacement in Syria campaign team prepared a study on the forced displacement and besiegement of Syrians. In the report they mentioned that the residents of 16 neighborhoods and areas in Homs province and its countryside have been subject to forced displacement and siege, where 1 million and 800 thousand people were forced to move, and 250 thousand remain besieged in Homs’ northern countryside.
The study mentioned that residents in 7 neighborhoods in Damascus have been subject to siege and forced displacement where 1 million have been displaced, 200 thousand civilians are still besieged in the eastern neighborhoods of Damascus, and 250 thousand civilians are besieged in the southern neighborhoods of Damascus.
According to the report, the residents in 6 neighborhoods in Deir Ez Zor province have been subject to forced displacement. There are 750 thousand displaced persons there, 100 thousand civilians are besieged under the authority of the al-Assad regime, and 50 thousand persons are besieged under the authority of the Islamic State in Deir Ez Zor city and its eastern countryside.
In Aleppo, residents of 6 neighborhoods in Aleppo province have been subject to forced displacement, where there are 3 million displaced persons, and 300 thousand civilians besieged in Aleppo’s eastern neighborhoods. Most of the residents of Aleppo’s southern countryside were forcefully displaced after the al-Assad regime and its Iranian militias attacked. In addition, the report mentioned that most of the residents of Aleppo’s northern countryside were forcefully displaced after the Syrian Democratic Forces militia attacks.
Regarding al-Raqqah province which is under Islamic State control, the study indicated that 300 thousand civilians were forced to leave their home, 50 thousand civilians are besieged under the authority of the Islamic State, and most of the residents of the northern countryside fled due to battles occurring there.
In Latakia, the study mentioned that residents of 6 neighborhoods have been forcefully displaced whereby 1 million people left their homes, and 750 thousand civilians suffer harassment in regime controlled areas. In addition, the population in most of the villages and towns in Latakia countryside have been replaced with regime supporters after Syrian and Russian warplanes’ direct and intense bombardment of these towns and villages.
The team ended the study mentioning that what is happening in Syria is the biggest forced displacement operation in the world as 11,6 million Syrians have left their homes whereby 7.6 million are internally displaced and 4 million are refugees.
The report indicated that the Syrian regime and the Iranian militias are using all kinds of international prohibited weapons with the support of the Russian air force to create a demographic change in Syria.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.