More than 11 million Syrians are on the run, including 5.3 million who have been forced to seek safety in the neighbouring countries of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Inside Syria, more than 6.1 million people are internally displaced and 13.1 million are still in need of humanitarian assistance More than half a million people have been killed since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
The Syrian civil and proxy war has been going on since the last 7 years and no end is in sight.. When all this has been happening the International community miserably failed to stop these atrocities but added fuel to the fire by engaging in a proxy war and demanding removal of Bashar al-Assad from power.
Now President Donald Trump on the pretext of chemical attack in Douma has launched his missiles in Syria on 3 targeted and specific chemical weapons facilities in Syria supported by Britain and France. Although the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guteres urged all parties to show restraint to avoid escalation.
The situation could have gone out of control had he targeted Russian military facilities in Syria as he had announced earlier telling the Russian his smooth missiles were coming.
Military action is not the solution, it will aggravate the situation and will be counter-productive. There is urgency of finding a political solution to the conflict. There is no military solution.
What is needed is a ceasefire and sustained pressure on the parties to the conflict to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict. There should be an end to the violence and for safe routes to be re-opened for critical humanitarian supplies to get through to the suffering civilians.
United Nations should take a lead role in bringing about a political solution by inviting all the parties concerned with no pre-conditions by anyone. An immediate ceasefire should be declared for the peace talks to commence and a deadline given to reach an agreement.
Failing that United Nations be given the mandate to impose one based on democratic principles and rule of law. There is no time to dilly dally now.
Baldev Sharma
Rayners Lane, Harrow
