This post includes a bloody awful clip from, ostensibly, the Kurdish sub-theater of Syria’s “Theater of the Real” complete and irreversible meltdown. At this point, one may presume that fans of either the Assad regime’s combat doctrine or the ways of Al Qaeda affiliates have ice water in their veins where everyone else has a far warmer human spirit.
War news is often a little hard to take, especially where children are involved, but a glimpse of video from a live field after an attack . . . network television, it ain’t.
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Russia has already allocated 10 million USD for the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. Iraq is also asking for financial aid due to the inflow of immigrants from Syria.
Syrian refugees: who cares about their problems? The Voice of Russia – 10/9/2013
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Mysterious purple sacks paid for by Israeli nonprofit IsraAid: “We don’t announce with trumpets that we’re Israeli.”
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With the word “Jewish” removed, the purple bags begin to travel in a human chain down a tight stairwell to the refugees below, almost all of them women wearing long black dresses and matching hijabs. Bags are loaded onto trucks or carried in hand back to wherever they are staying.
Israelis are feeding Syrian refugees in Jordan, but in secret | JPost | Israel News – 10/22/2013.
▶ IsraAID Syrian Refugee Relief, Jordan 2013 – YouTube – Posted 10/23/2013
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How penurious the effort when a state’s involved: Bulgaria may wear its heart on its sleeve for the refugees making their way to its bus stations but it’s wallet today appears to be opening for a fence capable of keeping them out.
Israel has the good fortune of being hated by people both wary of media as well as poisoned by it, so the direct challenge to its own humanity and pocketbook have been about right-sized: it can and has cared for wounded crawling to its tent and , this as it has in a growing roster of the world’s disaster zones — more “natural” than “man-caused” (as the American Administration might have it), its people — Israelis, of course — respond to need across its borders, but feel it / they must do so furtively (even, perhaps, while preparing and publishing the video boast).
Israel’s ethic to respond to need regardless of “race, religion, gender, or national origin” sets the standard for the ethics and morality required by the emergency.
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“It was best thing I have seen in my life,” said 10-year-old Rana Ziad, who fled from her restive southern border town of Daraa with her parents and six brothers and sisters a year ago. “It was very much fun and I loved it.”
European clowns help Syrian refugee children smile for moment amid hard life at desert camp | Fox News – 12/1/2013.
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Scarred by the horrors of war, they suffer from psychological distress, live alone or separated from their parents, receive no education or are thrown into illegal child labor, the agency said.
“Our lives are destroyed,” the report quoted 14-year-old Nadia, a newly arrived refugee in Jordan.
Syria’s refugee children ‘in crisis,’ UN agency report says – CNN.com – 11/29/2013.
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This one will chill you.
At least it did that to me.
I don’t now the acronym or name “ANHA” and was not able to ferret the meaning quickly from web-borne articles or stations associated with it. If you know the four words, I would like to hear them and know their translation.
The clip’s dated August 1, 2013 and noted as posted on August 3, 2013. Related reports seem to have popped up on the web around August 9, 2013, starting with RT coverage (e.g., Kurds in way: Witness account of atrocities as Al-Nusra Front asserts northern Syria position — RT News – 8/9/2013)
▶ Syria: Kurdish Children brutally murdered (2013/08/01) – YouTube – Posted 8/3/2013.
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The number of Syrian refugees in Iraq’s Kurdistan region has reached 200,000. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expects that the number may exceed 500,000 by the end of 2013.
There are about 80,000 refugees currently living in the Domiz camp, 20km southeast of Dohuk city and about 60km from the Syria-Iraq border.
In pictures: Syrian refugees left in the cold – In Pictures – Al Jazeera English – 11/20/2013.
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The conflict between the Kurds and Arab jihadis highlights how some “liberated” zones of Syria have become battlegrounds between various armed factions with distinct agendas and varying views on what a future Syria should look like.
Since Thursday, more than 20,000 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, have fled from northern Syria into the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, according to the United Nations. [Updated, 2:05 p.m. PDT Aug. 19: Later Monday, the U.N. revised the number of recent refugees to almost 30,000.]
Syrian refugees flee amid clashes between Kurds and Islamist rebels – Los Angeles Times – 8/19/2013
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On Tuesday, Kurdish groups announced the formation of an interim autonomous government in Syria’s Kurdish region, with elections to follow. The announcement comes on the heels of battle successes against Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), among the most powerful of the myriad homegrown and foreign forces fighting the Assad regime.
Emboldened by victory over jihadis, Syrian Kurds push toward autonomy – CSMonitor.com – 11/13/2013
Related from CSM: Iraqi Kurdistan gets three hours to build for 5,000 refugees – CSMonitor.com – 9/4/2013.
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So far, according to the report, there is little evidence of any comprehensive strategy or investment in providing a humanitarian communication strategy. Various agencies are employing piecemeal tactics to communication through counseling lines, SMS and face-to-face outreach, yet all of these have their limitations.
Furthermore it is clear from Internews research presented here that all current outreach tactics are fundamentally undermined by a profound lack of trust and/or understanding on the part of the refugees about what they are being told, and by whom. Syria has a long history as one of the most media-oppressed countries in the world and the Syrians have a mistrust of media and officialdom in general.
Lost: Syrian Refugees and the Information Gap | Internews – 11/18/2013.
Related PDF Report: “Lost: Syrian Refugees and the Information Gap.” November 2013.
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As a resettlement caseworker with UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, in Cairo, I saw firsthand how resettlement can provide a new lease on life to refugees trapped in risky and difficult circumstances. I am proud to have helped resettle hundreds of Somali refugee women and children to the United States, where many are now flourishing as employees, entrepreneurs and students. But I also saw the unintended negative consequences that often accompany resettlement programs. Inevitably, there are not enough resettlement places to go around. In 2012, 88,600 of the world’s 15.4 million refugees were resettled – less than 0.6 percent
Is Resettlement a Solution for Syria’s Refugee Crisis? | Brookings Institution – 11/13/2013.
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Casualties
Syria death toll hits nearly 126,000: monitoring group | Reuters – 12/2/2013.
Refugees
About Children
UN highlights trauma of Syrian refugee children – 12/1/2013.
Syria’s refugee children ‘in crisis,’ UN agency report says – CNN.com – 11/29/2013.
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▶ Syrian Refugee Children: The Future of Syria Report – YouTube – Posted 11/28/2013.
By Select Countries or Regions
European Union
Bulgaria
New Attack against Syrian Refugees Reported in Bulgaria’s Capital – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency – 12/2/2013/
Bulgaria: A nightmare for all | The Economist – 11/30/2013.
Bulgaria Granted Aid for Syrian Refugees – WSJ.com – 11/29/2013.
Bulgaria struggles to cope with influx of Syrian refugees | euronews, world news – 11/28/2013.
UNHCR – UNHCR chief urges Europe to help Bulgaria cope with Syrian refugee influx – 11/22/2013
France
France to accept Syrian refugees amid surge in anti-immigration politics | Al Jazeera America – 10/16/2013. The number mentioned: “500 asylum-seekers”.
Germany
No easy way to Germany for Syrian refugees | World | DW.DE | 27.11.2013
Second Syrian Refugee Group Arrives at Friedland Transit Camp – SPIEGEL ONLINE – 10/11/2013. Germany appears to be taking 5,000 Syrian refugees “incrementally”.
Greece
Greece, Bulgaria force Syrian refugees to go to Turkey: UN – 11/15/2013.
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Greece has enough problems of its own. The anti-immigrant Golden Dawn is now the third largest political party in the country, on track to become the second. The party wants “Greece for Greeks” and blames economic troubles on refugees and immigrants. Supporters routinely attack refugees in the street, beating them, spitting on them, and calling the authorities to collect them.
Fleeing Syria, Refugees Arrive to a Different Kind of Hell in Greece – Lauren Bird – The Atlantic – 5/3/2013.
Italy
Syrian boat refugees rescued from choppy seas in Italy – Khaleej Times – 12/2/2013.
Syrian refugees stranded at Italian railroad station | The Raw Story – 10/17/2013.
Spain
European clowns help Syrian refugee children smile for moment amid hard life at desert camp | Fox News – 12/1/2013.
Spain to offer 500,000 euros in support of Syrian refugees | The Jordan Times – 7/30/2013.
Sweden
Bjoern Borg’s Hometown Becomes Magnet for Syria’s Refugees – Bloomberg – 11/13/2013.
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There is a catch. Officials at the reception centre in Marsta take fingerprints to see whether asylum-seekers have already been registered in other EU countries.
BBC News – Sweden’s asylum offer to refugees from Syria – 10/23/2013.
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Can Sweden cope with an influx of Syrian asylum seekers? – YouTube – Posted 10/23/2013.
Eurasia
Russia
Turkey
KUNA : Turkey spent USD 650 mln on Syrian refugees – FM – Politics – 02/12/2013
Turkey and Syrian Refugees: The Limits of Hospitality | Brookings Institution – 11/14/2013
Number of Syrian refugees in Turkey exceeds 600,000: Turkish official | Reuters – 10/21/2013.
British Crown System
Great Britain
Syria is the greatest refugee crisis of our time. The numbers are shocking. More than two million refugees have spilled into neighbouring countries, over half of whom are children. And with no end to the conflict in sight, we expect the crisis to deepen as we head into the winter months.
The UK’s response to date has been serious and substantial. David Cameron has pledged that Britain is not a country that will stand by and fail to act, and the Government has committed £500million in humanitarian aid.
The UK Must Help Syrian Refugees | Maurice Wren – 10/9/2013.
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Some might say that this protest shows the tragic impact of the civil war in Syria. But that is to draw entirely the wrong lesson. For what the Calais stand-off really shows is how Britain is viewed as a soft-touch right across the globe. Thanks to lax borders, the human rights industry, the state’s obsession with multiculturalism and our obscenely generous welfare system, our country has become the world’s capital for freeloaders. The group at Calais is a symbol, not of Syria’s inhumanity but of Britain’s utterly chaotic, self-destructive immigration policy.
Middle East
Israel
JERUSALEM — Israel acknowledged for the first time Tuesday that it is providing humanitarian aid to victims of the civil war inside neighboring Syria, saying it has funneled food and other emergency supplies to embattled villages just across the frontier.
Israel provides humanitarian aid to Syrians – The Washington Post – 12/3/2013.
Israelis are feeding Syrian refugees in Jordan, but in secret | JPost | Israel News – 10/22/2013
Jordan
Syrian refugees put strain on Jordan schools amid fears for ‘lost generation’ | Global development | theguardian.com – 12/2/2013.
Lebanon
Lebanon villagers torch Syria refugee tents – FRANCE 24 – 12/2/2013.
Lebanon: Women Refugees From Syria Harassed, Exploited | World | Ammon News – 12/2/2013.
SYRIA – LEBANON In Lebanon, more than 800,000 Syrian refugees living in the open or shacks – Asia News – 11/27/2013.
Syria
Syria’s Palestinian refugees: No place to call home | The Economist – 11/28/2013.
North America
Canada
Syrian refugees faced with ‘nowhere to live’ – Manitoba – CBC News – 11/27/2013.
Canada to accept up to 1,300 Syrian refugees – Politics – CBC News – 7/3/2013.
United States
US ready to accept thousands of Syrian refugees — RT USA – 8/9/2013. “Now, the US will open its doors to 2,000 of “the most vulnerable” Syrian refugees – as long as they pass a lengthy background screening.”
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