The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Economic hardship | Looming humanitarian catastrophe risks the lives of millions of Syrians, while regime authorities keeps mishandling crises

SOHR renew appeals to International actors to intervene immediately

Syrian civilians in regime-controlled areas are now struggling with a critical humanitarian situation, as it is the case across the entire Syrian geography, at a time when successive crises and economic malaise hitting Damascus, Aleppo, the provinces of the Syrian coastline, south Syria region and central Syria. Meanwhile, regime authorities continue mishandling the crises and unable neither to control the deteriorating economy nor find a workable solution that can help civilians to overcome the dire living condition. The Syrian regime’s policy has ignited broad dissatisfaction among civilians who have blamed the government for the recent critical situation in Syria.

 

It is worth noting that the salary of an employee in regime-held areas do not exceed 90,000 SYL a month, while the average per capita income is no more than 60,000 SYL. Such salary is enough for a medium-class family for only three days in light of the astronomically inflated prices of food and essentials.

 

This alarming deteriorating situation coincides with the ongoing inaction by the international organizations which do not lend a helping hand to the Syrians who live in regime-held areas, especially since the financial aid sent by people living outside Syria to their relatives in regime-controlled areas can not be enough.

 

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renew our appeals to all international organizations to intervene immediately and put an end to the suffering of Syrian people, and not to abandon their responsibility and obligations to finding a lasting solution to the tragedy of millions of Syrians.

 

On March 2, SOHR sources reported that the situation in the regime-held areas became disastrous in light of the prohibitively high price of basic foodstuff, where the monthly income was not commensurate with inflation and high prices, as the highest monthly salary of any civilian is no more than 90,000 SYL, while the largest segment of people gets an average monthly salary of 30,000 to 60,000 SYL.

 

Such critical situation raises many questions, most notably are the following:

 

  • Has the Syrians’ Revolution of dignity, freedom and justice that started nearly a decade ago been turned into a “revolution of hunger”?

 

  • Why do the international organizations seem indifferent and fail to provide effective support to the Syrians?

 

  • Why is international organizations’ aid limited to the north-west and north-east Syria regions?

 

  • Are the sanctions imposed under Caesar Act behind the starvation of the Syrian people or the regime’s corruption?!