Aleppo in ruins

Violence in Syria has resumed in full force after three weeks of relative peace. An outrageous airstrike on a field hospital on Wednesday in a rebel-controlled area within the city of Aleppo could lead to a return to the darkest days of fighting in the country. Over 50 people, including patients and doctors, were killed in the airstrike which was condemned by the international community across the board. The hospital was the primary referral centre for paediatric care, and many of the victims of the attack were children. The responsibility for the strike has been rejected by Russia, Syria and the US. The blame, however, is likely to lie with the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, which has been accused of committing crimes against humanity in the five-year battle to retain power in the country. They Syrian government seems to have made a brutal return to violence in the last week as tensions have increased. Around 200 people have now died in the Aleppo in the last one week despite a nationwide ‘cessation of hostilities.’ After the hospital attack, the weak truce in the country is under severe threat. While both sides have been forced to use military power, the use of heavy weapons and attacks on civilians was entirely avoidable.

The delivery of UN aid to at least 35 besieged locations has now been threatened once again. Already, only a few UN relief missions were able to reach their designated locations. Aleppo has suffered more than other cities in the five-year civil war; the historical city is reported to be in ruins.. The need for peace to be restored is greater than ever – but not without punishing those responsible for the plight of the country; that would include all sides fighting this war. An international inquiry into the airstrike on the Al Quds Hospital in Aleppo would be a start. Coming at a time when all sides had promised to deescalate the war mongering, this is essential to rebuild trust in any peace process. The more sober reality is that we know that no one will be taken to task. The injured and sick are as likely to be targeted as the full-bodied in a fight without any rules of engagement. Humanity here only exists on paper, and hundreds of thousands continue to live under siege in Syria as any hope of a way out is extinguished one bomb after another.