Pope Benedict yesterday joined the chorus of demands for Bashar Al Assad to stop the bloodshed in Syria.
It was a fitting call, made by the Pontiff on Easter Sunday, in the very region where Christ taught forgiveness and compassion. But just days before a UN negotiated ceasefire is supposed to come into effect, it is now clear that the regime has no intention of softening its approach.
No foreign news crews are allowed in Syria, and those who did manage to get in, only got out by the skin of their teeth. Some did not make it out at all. Yet Syrians, citizens and members of the Free Syria army have managed to broadcast footage of the utterly merciless poundings that cities are taking across the country. Men, women and children are all being targeted mercilessly by the regime’s fiercely loyal army. The footage may be gruesome, but it does not even begin to reflect the absolute barbarity of the attacks as tanks continue to shell residential areas indiscriminately and snipers pick off people in the streets.
Just like Libya, men are dragged from their homes at night to be interrogated by the regime and many are subjected to beatings and torture. Various aid agencies have estimated that the death toll is now well over 10,000, but in truth, it may be much higher.
The world intervened when it became clear that the people of Libya were being subjected to horrific attacks by the Gaddafi regime army. The Syrian army is even more dangerous – it is not a group of rag tag mercenaries, but a highly trained, modern and efficient army. In other words, they know how to kill.
This bloodshed is not going to end. The uprising against the Alawite minority dynasty is now well into a year old and there are no signs of it abating. The people of Syria have come too far to give up hope now. But the human cost is tragic. News reel footage from Turkey has shown the state of people who are pouring across its Southern border with Syria – the scenes are harrowing. These are the lucky people, the ones who have managed to escape from cities such as Idlib and Homs. But they face a very uncertain future.
The UN has tried to broker a peace deal, but it will not be adhered to. Even now, on Easter Sunday, the regime continues to move its tanks in and blast everything in its path to smithereens. The world was not opposed to intervention in the uprising against Gaddafi. Why will it not intervene against Assad – this brutal murderer has continued in the footsteps of his tyrannical father and committed crimes against humanity. Talk, unfortunately, is cheap. The people of Syria need the world’s help – now, before it is too late.