Life in Syria
is nothing less than perilous. Since the beginning of the Civil war, there have
been large amount of casualties, and abandonment. The conflict has spread so
much fear that law enforcement is minimal due to the fleeing of officers. There
is a sense of lawlessness. Kidnapping, almost nil before the war, is now a
common thing. Rebel leaders are trying to take place of law enforcement, but
crime has gotten to high to handle. Civilians are afraid to leave their own
home for fear of being kidnapped and held for ransom. In Allepo, Syria,
the countries industrial capitol, roads have been shut down, due to bandits
looting and forcing people out of their vehicles. Successful business man, Hur,
was held for ransom at 200 thousand American dollars. Over a course of time
Hur’s brother was able to negotiate the price to 30,000, while Hur was tied up
to a water pipe. Syrians blame the government for the lack of law enforcement.
Syrian government relied on private militias as a police force and paid them
directly. When the war broke out many militias’s switched sides opposing the
government, due to corruption. For instance Women’s activist group recorded 100
rapes involving multiple men, in which the men were a pro-government group.
Syrian citizens have a hard time trusting both sides whether it’s the
Government or the Rebels.
I wasn’t aware of the Syrian conflict until I read this
article. It must be awful living conditions; a sense of not feeling safe has
got to be over burdening. I do believe that Syria needs a new form of
government, but the opposing force only sound just as bad. Also, when I first
read this article, I had to go into a little more research because it didn’t
clearly state that it was in a civil war.
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