If you’ve been paying attention to headlines over the last few weeks, Aleppo has been a hot topic of conversation – with sad and destructive things happening daily. With a failed ceasefire, there has been unparalleled fighting, resulting in death, injury and complete destruction that’s tough to fathom – and beyond difficult to understand.
While the politics behind the fighting can be pretty confusing, the destruction is plain and clear – leaving us wondering what we can do to help. Here’s a breakdown on what it’s all about and how you can support the people and the children living in the midst of this terrible tragedy.
According to the BBC:
“The northern Syrian city of Aleppo was caught in a brutal four-year deadlock.
It was a key battleground in the war between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels who want to overthrow him.
In November, Syrian government forces launched a renewed assault, and rapidly retook almost all of the opposition-held east. By mid-December they had pushed the rebels into just a few neighbourhoods.
Tens of thousands of civilians fled those districts, but the UN says hundreds have gone missing since crossing into government-controlled areas – and that rebels prevented some civilians from leaving.
On 15 December, the warring sides reached an agreement to end the fighting.”
And, a recent Timeline via BBC:
28 Nov: Syrian government forces recapture more than a third of rebel-held territory in eastern Aleppo. The rebels lose all of the northern neighbourhoods, leaving them with under two-thirds of the territory they had in the city.
6 Dec: Troops advance further, seizing more districts in the east. The gains mean the government has now recaptured more than 70% of the rebel-held area.
12 Dec: The Syrian army makes more gains, taking several districts, including the key Sheikh Saeed area, from the rebels, leaving them confined to a small enclave.
13 Dec: Following intense bombardment from pro-government forces, the rebels are squeezed into ever smaller areas of the city, retreating into just a handful of neighbourhoods.
15 Dec: A ceasefire deal is reached. Buses begin to take fighters, their families, and wounded people from east Aleppo to rebel-held areas in Idlib province. More buses are sent to evacuate residents of two villages, Foah and Kefraya, besieged by rebels in north-western Syria, as demanded by the government after an attempted deal the previous day collapsed.
The bottom line: Many people have died. Many people are injured. Here’s how you can help:
Support The White Helmets
Donate to Doctors Without Borders who provide medical aid
Support the International Rescue Committee
Support Save the Children
