UN on Syria: Must a million die?
Humanitarian chief asks what has to happen for the world to take notice of the slaughter
A top United Nation’s aid official has expressed his frustration at the obstacles to humanitarian aid in Syria. John Ging, the director of operations at the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said three years into the conflict, the crisis in Syria was getting even worse.
He said: “The valid question to ask those political leaders is … how many poor people will you accept to be killed before you do something different? It’s 5,000 a month at the moment and it’s over 150,000 already. Is it 200,000? Is it a quarter of a million? Is it a million people?”
The UN aid chief was speaking as government forces regained control of Homs, a city once called the capital of the revolution. Hundreds of fighters surrendered their stronghold in a deal that allowed them safe passage to other rebel-held areas.
But what effect will the fall of Homs have on the wider conflict in the country? And what will it take for political leaders to take more decisive action?
Presenter: Sami Zeidan
Guests:
Marwan Kabalan – a Syrian writer and academic, and associate political analyst at the Doha Institute.
Isabel Nassief – a research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, and a specialist on Syrian politics and security
Elias Hanna – a lecturer at the American University in Beirut, a military analyst and former Lebanese General