(Zaman Al Wasl)- The considerable increase in the phenomenon of homelessness in the public gardens and streets of the city of Latakia was concurrent with the decrease in the exchange rate of the Syrian Pound since the end of 2011, which equally coincided with the acceleration of the military war launched by the Assad forces and its militias against the Syrian people in various provinces.
Following this, a huge number of Assad loyalists migrated from various areas to the coast, the majority of them are either those who have a low-income or those whose parents serve in the Assad army, Or employees who preferred to retain their jobs and salaries in order to be able to stay in their home towns and villages, which had become part of the areas controlled by the Regime.
The increase in the number of migrants to Latakia was accompanied by an unreasonable increase in rental fees, so as to increase the demand for vacant houses which has led many to live in the cellars and in houses that are still under construction. These houses, of course, lacked the minimum living standards of water, electricity and health services.
In addition, a large number of those who were performing their compulsory service at the beginning of the revolution in 2011 were wounded during the hostilities. They were either retained or unable to break free from their services. This prevented them from returning to their homes after being demobilized from the Assad army. Because of their injuries, they couldn’t continue.
The released soldier, Mahmoud, preferred to hide his last name, lives alone in a tent made of pieces of nylon and cartoon in the corner of a garden located on the road of the village of Damsarkhu, after being allowed by the owner to live there in exchange for his services as a night guard.
He told the story of his suffering to Zaman Al Wasl newspaper using these words: “Where do I go? I am from Idlib and I fought for 6 years in the Assad Army as part of the naval forces, I was injured twice in the coastal front, I was unable to continue my services and I was referred to a medical committee which gave me a rate of 65% disability. It is impossible for me to return to my district as I am now regarded as a traitor by my family.
So I’ve been living here in this lonely place with no water or electricity. And despite the fact that several months have elapsed since my release, I still haven’t received my compensation or the salary I am entitled to. I work all day collecting cardboard dishes and pieces of damaged plastic; I sell them to traders, which hardly covers the expenses of my food and my cigarettes. And then I return at night to my tent, which does not protect me from the heat of summer or from the winter’s cold. I return to my tent and hope for a miracle.”
This is only a small picture of a long and stretching scene that includes hundreds of similar cases and sometimes even more cruel ones. In a strange and pathetic interpretation, loyalists to the Regime hold the Ministry of Awqaf solely responsible for these homeless and hungry people under the pretext that Syrian budget funds go to build new mosques and restore old ones.
The Regime followers ignore the real causes of homelessness and poverty in the areas under Assad's regime, and overlook the billions spent on Assad's war against the Syrian people to ensure his place in power and other billions owned by Rami Makhlouf, the Assad family and warlords.
A large campaign was launched in the social media by followers of the Regime against the Ministry of Awqaf, demanding the suspension of the restoration and building of mosques, and some of them even considered building mosques to be an act of sedition and sectarianism.
The Alawites-dominated areas are still the main manpower supply for Bashar al-Assad's regime.
More than 125,000 pro-regime forces have been killed in seven years of brutal war, according to local monitoring groups.
Zaman Al Wasl
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