Wednesday, October 07, 2015
As Military Escalation Grips
Syria, Oxfam Decries World Powers for Fueling War
Oxfam report singles out the United States, Iran, Qatar, Russia,
Saudi Arabia, and Turkey for 'fueling violence and violations of war'
A 13-year-old from Daraa in Syria, flies a kite in Zaatari
refugee camp in Jordan. (Photo: Oxfam International/flickr/cc)
As reports of a new military offensive by Syrian and Russian
forces made headlines on Wednesday, Oxfam International rebuked wealthy and
powerful nations for flooding the war-torn country with weapons, fueling
bloodshed on all sides, and failing to adequately assist those seeking aid and
refuge.
In a briefing entitled Solidarity with
Syrians (pdf), Oxfam singles out the United States, Iran,
Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey for "fueling violence and
violations of war in Syria through arms and ammunition transfers to parties to
the conflict."
The report also slams the international community for its "cursory and
insincere" efforts to arrive at a political resolution to the
crisis.
"The violence in Syria is intensifying, fueled by a divided
international community and the transfer of arms and ammunition to warring
parties," said Andy Baker, head of Oxfam's Syria crisis response, in a statement
accompanying the report. "Faced with this grim situation, many Syrians are
literally jumping in the water to seek a better future."
"The violence in Syria is intensifying, fueled by a divided
international community and the transfer of arms and ammunition to warring
parties. Faced with this grim situation, many Syrians are literally jumping in
the water to seek a better future."
—Andy Baker, Oxfam
For those Syrians forced to flee their homeland, says Oxfam, too
many are being met with a faltering aid response from the international
community, including from governments most able to afford assistance.
"Most wealthy countries are not contributing their fair
share to the aid response—appeals are now funded at 44 percent only," the
report states. "They have also failed to provide safe and legal routes for
Syrians to their territory, including not doing enough to ensure that vulnerable
refugees are offered resettlement and other forms of humanitarian admission in
sufficient numbers."
The United States, United Kingdom, and Kuwait are identified by
researchers as "less than generous in their offers to welcome the most
vulnerable refugees"—with the U.S. resettling just 8 percent of its
"fair share."
The assessment follows growing criticism that the U.S. is turning its back
on refugees, admitting less than
1,500 since 2011. Syrian-American community organizer Sarab Al-Jijakli recently
criticized
the U.S. for its "disingenuous and deficient approach, to say the least.
Our nation of immigrants must do more to help mitigate the greatest
humanitarian crisis of our time."
"Refugees from Syria and other countries have the right to
be free from violence, to aid for basic needs and dignity, and to a welcome of
safe haven," said Oxfam executive director Winnie Byanyima. "They are
being short-changed on all three fronts. There will be no end to the suffering
of people from Syria until action is taken on these issues."
Since 2011, over 250,000 people in Syria have been killed and
over one million wounded. Today, 10 million are without enough to eat and over
half of Syria's pre-crisis population has been forced to flee their homes.
Despite the heavy focus on the refugee crisis in Europe, the vast majority of
the four million people who are registered as refugees are in Jordan, Lebanon,
Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt. Palestinian refugees who had resided in Syria are also
being displaced.
"The aid response is faltering due to lack of funds—or more
accurately, the lack of political will to loosen up funds," said Baker.
"Rich countries have ignored repeated alarm bells."
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"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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