The earthquake on February 6 devastated Turkey and Syria. Destruction and death everywhere. In Syria, the earthquake followed an 11-year bloodbath perpetrated by dictator Bashar al-Assad and his Iranian and Russian allies.
By: Fabio Bosco
According to the World Bank, the economy shrank by more than 50% between 2010 and 2020. The Syrian pound collapsed and the purchasing power of working families was destroyed. There is not enough fuel, so in some neighborhoods of Damascus and Ghouta, people have to burn garbage and firewood to heat their families during the harsh winters. Access to clean drinking water is poor in north-eastern Syria, leading people to drink the polluted water from the Euphrates River. People do not take to the streets to protest due to the repression of the dictatorship and paramilitary groups (called shabihain Arabic).
The situation in the areas beyond the control of the Syrian regime in the northwest, such as Idlib, Afrin and northern areas of Aleppo province is also very bad. About 4.6 million people, most of them displaced from other areas of Syria, are besieged by Syrian regime forces, the Iranians and the Russians. There is only one passage –Bab al-Hawa–, on the border with Turkey, through which humanitarian aid is allowed. About 80% of the human needs of all the inhabitants pass through Bab al-Hawa. Many families live in camps and other precarious housing. And the bombardments of Syrian and Russian planes, in addition to the Turkish economic crisis, strongly affected local living conditions. International Aid is half of what is needed to meet the needs of refugee families.
The earthquake affected a country that had already been devastated by the dictatorship and made things worse.
In the regime-controlled areas, Iranian and Russian troops did nothing to help the people. Many countries have pledged to help, but little has come so far. Even the Zionist Entity offered “help” to Syria as it murdered five Palestinians in Jericho.
To areas outside the control of the regime, no aid arrived. The road from Gaziantep to Reyhanli was cut by the earthquake, making it difficult to reach Bab al-Hawa. The Syrian regime not only did not open any other passes, but sent planes to bombard the city of Marea.
End the regime led by Bashar to rebuild Syria
The earthquake exposed a devastated country. The regime did nothing to rebuild the economy and the country. Agriculture is devastated and food is imported. Few destroyed neighborhoods were rebuilt. There is no plan from the dictatorship to improve wages or living conditions. Part of the humanitarian aid is diverted into the pockets of the corrupt Syrian bourgeoisie linked to the regime. Parapolice militias and Iranian and Russian troops operate freely in the country.
It is necessary to rebuild ties between Syrian workers inside and outside Syria, in order to build solidarity with the people affected by the earthquake, as a first step to restart the fight to expel the foreign armed forces, as well as to end of the regime.
Translation: Natalia Estrada.