The world is so preoccupied with its daily race forward, that it seems not to notice the worst human crisis in decades: the Syrian city of Aleppo is dying with its remaining, besieged inhabitants.
Bombed Aleppo. Photo: Wikipedia/Voice of AmericaThe leaders of European Union nations condemn the attacks and their perpetrators, especially Russia, who, supporting the forces of the Syrian regime of Bashar el-Assad, has been bombing the city for several weeks. Every week international humanitarian organizations appeal to perpetrators of attacks to stop. They call for the immediate and absolute cessation of hostilities. The Secretary-General of Caritas Internationalis, Michel Roy, sent an official note informing about the tragedy of the Syrian residents of the city. He emphasizes that "more than 275 thousand people every day are bombed in the eastern part of the city, and more than 100 thousand children are trapped in the zone under the control of rebels."
This week the attacks are intensifying. Listening to dreadful news on the radio, I am saddened by realization, that these numbers and news don't really matter that much to most of us in the western world. They are mere repetitions of news heard before, dry numbers. However, if we stop to think about it for a while, maybe we can change the world. If we imagine a hospital with no basic medical equipment, staff and space for treating the wounded, maybe we can become more caring.
When I watched TV images of the city that resemble images of Warsaw in 1944, shortly after the uprising, I thought of history and how it repeats itself. Just as then so today the world is watching and waiting. Only for what?
The old town in Warsaw during the uprising of 1944. Photo: Ewa Faryaszewska, Wikipedia, CCPeople of Aleppo living in basements and the ruins try to save the remnants of normalcy. They try to send children to school, resume some duties... Unfortunately, after a brief "humanitarian ceasefire", during which illegal armed groups controlling the eastern part of Aleppo opened fire on civilians trying to leave the city, Russian and Syrian government forces resumed bombardment. During the three-day truce, despite cessation of fighting, residents did not dare to leave the besieged city; nor has there been the evacuation of the wounded and sick from the districts infested by rebels.
Let's think about our brothers in Aleppo, as we go about our, sometimes a bit boring in their comfortable routine, lives. Let's think and pray for those children, who would want nothing more than to resume going to school. Instead, they are now struggling to survive.