Red Cross aid for the inhabitants of Homs was blocked Saturday as Syrian forces assaulted parts of the city. This attack comes a day after Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. Secretary-General, said that he received information that even after rebel fighters left Homs, Syrian troops were still "executing and torturing" people there. The Syrian Network for Human Rights stated that the attack is "'...an act of pure revenge...'" while the Syrian government says it's fighting foreign-backed terrorists that it says are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of soldiers and policemen. Also, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) trucks were denied access to a district in Homs because it is feared the military didn't want the convoy to see a reported massacre in that part of the city. A spokesman for the IRCR said they were given permission to enter by authorities but the military stopped them because of reported "mines and booby traps" along the route that made it unsafe.
Russia and China twice have vetoed U.N. resolutions that would have condemned the Syrian government while Turkey, the one time ally of Syria, stated that "(t)he Syrian regime is committing a crime against humanity every day." Also, an American journalist and a French photographer's bodies were returned home as they were both killed on February 22 in Baba Amro, a district in the city of Homs. What should be done about these latest reports of violence? Should the citizens of Homs be left to fight for themselves or should more be done than condemning the government?
1 comment:
I think that it is imperative that the U.N. decides on some sort of action that at the very lest allows NGOs into Syria to address the violence against civilians. Because of the safety hazards to the NGO personal, maybe some sort of military escort or a cease-fire directive from the Security Council would allow aid to enter Syria. At the very least, maybe the S.C. can forgo condemning the Syrian government and just focus on trying to get aid into the country. Maybe if the government isn't condemned, Russia and China won't veto it. In addition, maybe if the Russian military based is protected, Russia would be more willing to allow some sort of action.
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