As civilian deaths in Syria continue to rise, proxy conflicts are making it worse
It has been another devastating few days in the seemingly never-ending war in Syria.
Observers says more than 100 civilians were killed Tuesday, including at least 20 children, in fighting between government forces and rebels in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta.
It is the largest single-day death toll in the area in nearly three years. At least 403 people have been killed in Eastern Ghouta district since Sunday night, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.
Last week, the World Food Programme drove a convoy with food and humanitarian assistance to Deir ez-Zor in northeastern Syria. It was the first time the organization was able to enter the city since ISIS overran it in 2014.
"The city is nearly devastated — completely decimated — except for about 20 per cent of the area," Marwa Awad, communications officer with the World Food Programme, told The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti.
She said that approximately over 100,000 people are now living in a small cluster of neighbourhoods, "desperately trying to make a living selling scraps that they're collecting from the other side of the city" that was previously held by ISIS fighters.
'The situation is dismal'
Awad was emotional as she recalled the story of one man she met in Deir ez-Zor, gesturing at the rubble where his home used to stand. He now rummages through the city's remains to sell scrap, making the equivalent of $4 a week to provide for his wife and four children.
Despite the widespread misery and desolation, Awad said the last week provided a "ray of hope" in that they were finally able to reach residents on the ground. Until now, all food packages had to be delivered via air drop.
However, the latest shipment was far less than what was needed on the ground.
- CBC News: 'Raining bombs': UN pleads for truce as warplanes pound Syrian district for 5th day
- CBC News: 'We are waiting our turn to die': Besieged Ghouta residents in Syria shelter down
- CBC News: UN expresses 'outrage' over bombardment deaths in Damascus suburbs
"The situation is dismal. We were only allowed to bring in food for 7,200 people," said Awad, estimating it at about two and a half per cent of the total need for aid.
"Inside, the people we were delivering this food to had told us, 'Look, we're going to have to split each ration into five different portions so that we can cover the maximum number of families as possible. So people are very hungry and extremely malnourished, especially children."
Proxy wars by other nations
ISIS's forces might have been routed in Syria in recent months, but several experts doubt that it will lead to peace or stability in the near future — in fact, things may even threaten to become worse, thanks to the multitude of outside nations and political interests at play in the region.
"I think the defeat of ISIS actually has allowed the underlying conflicts which predated the rise of ISIS to reassert themselves," said Murtaza Hussain a reporter for The Intercept. He explained that when ISIS rose to prominence in Iraq and Syria in 2014, competing factions at the time put aside their differences to fight the new threat.
With that threat seemingly defeated, old tensions have once again become inflamed.
Make no mistake: this is not about rebuilding Syria or for the Syrian people.- Bessma Momani
The list of international players either with forces directly operating in Syria, or connected to forces that are there, include the United States, Russia, Israel, Turkey and Iran.
"I think, unintentionally or intentionally, there's a risk of a greater power conflict in Syria, because so many powers are now involved," said Hussein.
Bessma Momani, a professor with the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ont., predicted that the next phase of whatever conflicts arise will depend partly on what the United States defines as the next major threat to come from the region.
"I would say that the biggest one they see is the potential for Iran to continue to be able to arm and fund Hezbollah through a Syrian corridor," she said.
"Make no mistake: this is not about rebuilding Syria or for the Syrian people. There's a larger geostrategic issue at play."
Momani added that the outside players' domestic politics could also play a role in their actions in the region, citing "loose cannons" like the United States under President Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu's recent corruption allegations and others.
These complex and sometimes-overlapping tensions have come to a head in Syria, and the lack of a centre of power of leadership.
"I think we're in an order now, internationally, where there is no hegemon — nobody who is willing to say, 'You know, we must do it this way or else,'" she said, citing a divided United Nations Security Council and "a disgraced U.S. presidency" for an uncommon dearth of leadership.
Listen to the full conversation at the top of this page, where you can also share this article across email, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.
This segment was produced by The Current's John Chipman and Howard Goldenthal.