Since the start of the war in Syria 10 years ago, the lives of Syrian people have been under threat. Back in 2011, the situation quickly shifted from localised protests to a full-scale war, leading to a devastating humanitarian situation that persists a decade later.
Over the course of 10 years,12 million Syrians half the pre-conflict population – have been forced to flee the conflict and leave their homes behind, often multiple times, making it the biggest displacement crisis of this century. Many of them are still displaced today.
A significant part of Syria’s infrastructure has also been destroyed. Notably, Syria’s relatively functional health system has been devastated. Hundreds of medical facilities have been bombed , large numbers of medical staff have been killed or have fled, and there are still desperate shortages of medical supplies in many parts of the country. Today, the medical needs of the Syrian people are huge.
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been responding to the crisis in Syria since the start of the war. We have been providing support to people in need across different areas of the country: from donating medical supplies, to setting up hospitals and clinics, to providing remote support to medical facilities and networks of doctors in areas that MSF could not access directly. Today, MSF is providing support to Syrians within Syria as well as in various neighbouring countries that host Syrian refugees.
Syrian lives under threat for 10 years
In 2011, localised protests in Syria shifted into a full-scale war. Ten years on, the conflict continues and needs in the country are huge. Almost 12 million Syrians—half the pre-war population—have been displaced. Médecins Sans Frontières has provided medical humanitarian aid throughout the decade, witnessing the impact of the conflict on Syrians struggling to survive.
May 2012: Syrians seek safety in Domeez refugee camp in Iraqi Kuridstan, one of the locations in neighbouring countries where Médecins Sans Frontières sets up activities to assist people fleeing. Our teams in Syria open four makeshift medical facilities in the country’s north, and we deliver tons of medicines and medical supplies to health centres.
Humaid, 45 years old, is from Dhiban, in Deir ez-Zor. Five of his daughters (Sedar (4 years old), Dumua (5), Butul (6), Arimas (9) and Lamis (13)) were on the rooftop of the house when they were severely injured by a booby-trap. Sedar, the youngest, has been partially amputated of both legs, and Lamis, the eldest, of one leg.
“We fled Dhiban because of the clashes. Once the situation calmed down I went back by myself to check the house and did not see any suspicious device, so I brought my family as well.” The accident that almost killed the girls happened two month later. “The girls had never seen a mine before, how could a child know about a mine? They put the mines in the fridge, in the door handle, under the carpet, inside the Quran. The hospital is full of people who have amputated legs. What was the fault of the children? They are not part of the conflict. This is not a war, it’s a war against human.”
