Mass starvation in Syria
In a mountain city 15 miles outside of Damascus, there are no cats or dogs roaming the streets because they have all been killed for food. Mothers are no longer able to produce milk to feed their babies. People are making soup out of grass, if they can find it. Many people are so emaciated, they are little more than skin and bones. And to make matters worse, if that is imaginable, freezing winter weather with snow has hit the region hard.
The town of Madaya, which is near the border with Lebanon, has been cut off for many months by a siege of the Assad regime forces that have surrounded the town that is controlled by various rebel groups. No food or medical aid has been able to get in and what little does get smuggled in costs exorbitant amounts of money – there are rumors of a kilo of milk costing more than $100 and a kilo of rice can reach over $150. The last food aid delivery came three months ago.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 10 people have died from lack of food and medicine in the town.
Another 13 have been killed by regime mines or snipers while trying to leave in search of food, the monitoring group said.
It said regime forces had placed additional mines and barbed wire around Madaya since the September deal, adding that some 1,200 people inside had chronic illnesses, and more than 300 children there were suffering from malnutrition and other ailments.
“Many of the town’s residents have been forced to survive on weeds and others pay huge sums of money at government checkpoints to obtain food,” Observatory director Rami Abdul Rahman said.
An agreement has been reached to allow aid in to the city, but it has yet to be implemented. It is expected to be implemented any day now. As soon as it is, our partner IHR will be there with food and supplies for the people of Madaya. Please donate now to help us help end the suffering in Madaya.
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