Syria has been labeled by many media outlets as one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. Every time we open up new apps these days there seems to be a new event occurring in Syria. With everything going on, it’s hard to get the correct information on what is really happening. What started the uprising? Who were the rebels? And what led to the refugee crisis that is occurring right now and is taking the world by storm? The country’s pre-war population – about 11 million – has been cut in half. The UN estimates that about 7.5 million people are internally displaced in the country. Here is a summary of all the events that led to the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis.
1. An anti-government uprising sparks
Pro-democracy movements start in protest to President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Assad’s soldiers arrested and tortured teenagers who painted revolutionary slogans on a school wall, and this provoked several protests around the country demanding for his resignation. Security forces of Assad opened fire amongst these peaceful protests, only strengthening their resolve to fight for democracy. In April 2011, the first Syrian refugee camps are built in Turkey.
2. Government doesn’t back down – so country descends in to Civil War
International criticism grows – the US and other European countries demand that Assad step down. Since the uprising, about 5,000 people have died – this is only in a span of eight months. Civilians, soldiers, journalists, humans rights workers; all types of innocent people die. The war is mainly between the Arab League (the rebels) and the Syrian government, but at this point other groups with varying interests join, such as the Sunnis, Shias, Hezbollah, and several jihadist groups.
3. Several war crimes are committed throughout the war
Both government and rebel forces are accused of committing severe war crimes. Suicide bombs, air strikes, and massacres are committed everywhere. The UN Human Rights Council accuses Assad’s troops and his other allies of all the war crimes they have committed. Heavy weapons are used and a large number of innocent children are killed. In May 2012 Parliament elections are held. But much to the chagrin of rebels, most of the seats go to Assad and his allies.
4. Tensions rise between Syria and its neighboring countries
Many countries, including the US, close their embassies in Syria. Tensions between Turkey and Syria rise as fighter jets are deployed into airspaces of both countries. A UNHCR-run Zaatari refugee camp opens in Jordan and lets in 80,000 refugees. Kofi Annan, the leader and Envoy of the Arab League, resigns in August 2012 after he fails to negotiate a ceasefire with Assad’s army.
5. Biological and Chemical weapons are threatened to be used
Assad states that he will use chemical and biological weapons if Syria is attacked by a foreign state. Obama responds swiftly to that statement, saying that a usage of those weapons by Assad will be a “red line,” and America will respond to that swiftly. Thousands of people are killed in a suburb near Damascus with rockets filled with a nerve agent sarin. The US prompts the UN and the OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) to destroy all chemical and biological agents the Syrian government held.
6. A serious Syrian refugee crisis ensues
By the end of 2012, over half a million of Syrian refugees have fled their home land. By March 2013 that number has increased to more than a million. In less than 3 months a staggering half a million people have been displaced from their homes. By May 2013, over 4.25 million Syrians are displaced in their country. The UN labels this crisis as the “worst humanitarian disaster” since the civil war. By the end of the year, on December 2013, 2.3 million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and other bordering countries. And an estimated 18 percent of them are in refugee camps. At the exponential rate the number of refugees is growing, the UN predicts that there could be 4.3 million Syrian refugees by the end of 2015, the worst exodus since the Rwandan genocide. Most refugees don’t live in refugee camps, but the camps are receive the most new coverage. The formerly barren desert is crowded with several tents, supermarkets, and schools. But most refugees live outside the camps because there is literally not enough resources to shelter so many refugees. The refugees that flee to other countries can be seen to be living in rooms with no heat or water, abandoned chicken coops, or storage sheds. The worst statistic from the refugees’ situation is this: over half of the refugees are children.