[The Fountain] A blessed land in distress
SHIM SAE-ROMThe author is a communications team reporter of the JoongAng Holdings.
Syria was originally a blessed land. The area near the Euphrates River, which runs across the country, has been abundant since prehistoric times. In 1916, American archaeologist James Henry Breasted named the origin of the Mesopotamian civilization “the Fertile Crescent.”
Throughout its long history, Syria has been coveted and ruled by Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, the Byzantine Empire and France.
Since then, the modern history of Syria has been marked by tragedies. In a country 1.8 times the size of Korea, internal strife from coups and long-term dictatorship continued after a socialist regime was established.
To make matters worse, a prolonged drought hit the rich soil in 2006 as a result of climate change. The Syrian people have been suffering from a civil war over the past years since 2011, an offshoot of the formation of the militant group IS.
A UN refugee report published in June 2022 said that the number of Syrian refugees was 6.8 million, the most in the world and far greater than Venezuelan refugees at 4.6 million and Afghan refugees at 2.7 million.
Three out of 10 Syrians are wandering in foreign countries. More than half of the people totaling 23 million who stayed have unknown residences.
Their already harsh life was battered by one of the worst earthquakes in the 21st century on Feb. 6. The international community is publicly expressing concerns about the “exclusion” of Syria in relief after the earthquake hit Turkey and Syria.
At a board meeting in Geneva on Feb. 7, WHO Senior Emergency Officer Adelheid Marschang said that Turkey had a strong capacity to respond to the crisis but Syria is in need of greater humanitarian assistance.
The human and material assistance from foreign countries seem to be concentrated on Turkey, a NATO member. But the earthquake has destroyed the roads around Syria’s northern border, which is the only supply route for civilian relief.
In the meantime, the dictatorial government of Syria insists on approving only the relief endorsed by the government. The decision only aggravates the pain. As disasters and compassion do not distinguish between nationalities or between rich and poor, we urge the international community to respond to the needs of Syrians more quickly and wisely.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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