Syrian IDPs Crisis

   It is right that Syria had longstanding IDPs problem that was derived from Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights and the repressive policies of the Syrian regime. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, in 2010, there were at least 433,000 IDPs in the country because of conflict and violence. However, recent conflicts that forced people to leave their homes resulted with massive displacements in Syria as a result of which internal displacement escalated very quickly. Only in 2012, 2.4 million internal displacements were observed. This figure might be higher for 2013. Latest IDPs figure of IDMC shows that there are more than 5.1 million IDPs in the country which is about a quarter of the total population. This means that one of every four Syrians is in the situation of internal displacement.

   Early displacements in 2011 were as a result of the government’s efforts to stop the uprising. Displacements of almost entire population (41,000) of Jisr Al-Shughur were occurred for the fear of possible government response to armed groups’ attacks on security forces. Displacements around Damascus and Homs were also in this character. Syrian government began to use heavy artillery to stem the tide of uprising which resulted in destruction of houses and more displacement. Aleppo, Homs and Damascus attracted lots of IDPs during this period. 

   In time, different opposition armed groups were mushroomed in the country. These groups are not only fighting against the government forces but also against each other. Conflicts are turning into sectarian violence in different areas. People began to be killed according to their religious beliefs or their ethnicity. Great powers are after their interests in the area. While the USA has been trying to weaken Russian influence in the region, Russia does not want to lose its ally government. Russia has had good relations with the Ba’ath regime for a long time. There has been longstanding arm trade between the two countries. Russians also have access to the Tartus naval facility on the Syrian coast although it is for temporary mooring and repair. Russia has strong doubts about Chechen militants fighting with the opposition. For all these reasons, Russia sees significant strategic importance in the region and does not seem like it will let another western intervention. Although the USA, on the other hand, has had a desire to topple the Syrian government, involvement of the extreme groups into the conflicts against the regime make Americans dubious about the decisions of the Syrian future. Moreover, Russian resistance in the UN Security Council and the recent domestic economic and political scandals are effective factors of the latest unstable reactions of the States.      

   In this environment, Syrian IDPs who are already in need of food and shelter are also in serious threat of death. If the displacement keeps this pace, we might witness one of the biggest human tragedies of all times.