Germany should substantially increase direct humanitarian aid for the 3.5 million Syrian refugees

The German government should substantially increase its humanitarian aid for the 3.5 million needy Syrian refugees. This is what the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) demands on occasion of the second anniversary of the "Syrian revolution" on March 18. "Given the increasing distress among the many refugees and displaced people, the 73 million Euros for direct aid from Germany are unfortunately not more than a drop in the ocean," said the Syrian-born Middle East expert of the STP, Kamal Sido. More efforts need to be undergone soon to avoid a major disaster.

"About three quarters of the 2.5 million refugees who are still in Syria are women and children," said Sido. In many places, there are not enough food supplies to nourish the civilians sufficiently. Even bread is scarce. Also, there is an urgent need for medicine, medical equipment, bandaging material and hygiene items. 57 percent of the state's hospitals are partially destroyed, 36 percent are no longer operable. More than four million people in Syria are dependent on humanitarian aid. In addition, supplies are also needed for about one million refugees from Syria who have already sought shelter in the neighboring countries.

The STP is also in deep concern about the ethnic and religious minorities such as the Kurds, the Armenians, the Assyrian Aramaic, Druze, Ismailis, Circassians, Turkomans, Palestinians, Christians and Yazidis, who are caught in the crossfire more and more often. The Christians are being attacked by the radical Islamist opposition. At least 1,000 Christians have already lost their lives – and about 200,000 Christians have already left Syria.

The self-destructive civil war in Syria has already claimed 70,000 victims. In two years, the initially peaceful protests against the Baath dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad have turned into a "religious war". The "Shiite alliance" – which is led by the mullah regime in Iran – supports the authoritarian Syrian government, trying to hold down the revolt that is mainly led by the Sunni Arabs. The Arab Gulf states and Turkey are providing financial support and weapons for the Sunni-Islamist opposition. While the Syrian army uses heavy artillery, tanks, rocket launchers and the Air Force, the Sunni opposition tries to operate with murder, bombs and suicide attacks. According to UN information, both sides are responsible for severe human rights violations and war crimes. According to the Society for Threatened Peoples, the ethnic and religious conflicts in Syria could only be compensated by a balanced federal government system.