Fabienne Fleurantin/Staff Writer
The piercing screams of people begging for help, for the violence to cease.
The searing images of crying children who have been gravely injured, and families mourning the heartbreaking loss of their loved ones. This is civil war.
This is Aleppo.
A once bustling city that was thriving became decimated by the battle that ensued between the Syrian regime and the rebels who fight for its ownership.
This story was not televised much but it has recently generated momentum as images of men, women and children soaked in blood and rubble flooded social media platforms. But, this civil war has been a long time in the making.
According to CNN.com, “In 2011, the regime, led by President Bashar Al-Assad, launched a violent crackdown on activists who were demanding more economic prosperity, political freedom and civil liberties. His actions sparked a nationwide uprising and eventually a civil war with armed rebels.”
But why has Aleppo become the center of this war?
“Aleppo was once Syria’s largest city, with a population of about 2.3 million. It was also the country’s industrial and financial centre,” as stated on BBC.com. Back in 2011, it became a battleground territory, and will be a major turning point in the war for whoever seizes its control.
The city has been divided by the Syrian regime and the rebels for more than four years, but the regime is gaining more control of the territory. Russia is their most powerful ally and has supported the regime since 2015, by using airstrikes to help them succeed and get the rebels out of Aleppo. However, a deal has been struck. A ceasefire, but there are conditions to this agreement.
“Under the terms of the Aleppo deal, rebels and civilians were allowed to be evacuated to rebel-held Idlib province, while civilians in the rebel-besieged (mainly Shia villages of Foua and Kefraya in Idlib) would be allowed to leave; in return– at the insistence of Iran, sponsor of pro-government Shia militias fighting in Aleppo,” BBC.com reports.
There have been ongoing evacuations from Aleppo honoring the deal, and “the eventual departure of thousands from the rebel-controlled zone will hand full control of the city to President Bashar AL-Assad, the biggest prize in Syria’s nearly six-year-old civil war,” according to aljazeera.com
In the worst of circumstances, the Syrian regime will gain control of the most profitable city in Syria, giving them a strong foothold in the civil war. Those rebels who are fighting for better government will be ushered out, whether by force or by necessity bound by the Aleppo deal. But maybe this is a short term solution to a long term problem.
This agreement may be the start to end the bloodshed. Innocent people have died, children have been killed and towns destroyed. I sincerely hope that the Syrian regime sticks to their word and stops bringing harm to their country and most importantly, their people.
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Image retrieved from Flickr.
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