The Yarmouk refugee camp - All we need is access

The Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus has become a test for world conscience. The camp has been under siege by Assad regime’s forces for the last three years. The camp’s 50,000-plus population is facing a humanitarian crisis. Because of heavy bombardment and continuous shelling, the camp has changed into a big prison where people are living without water, sanitation and medical facilities. More than 50 children lost their lives recently after failing to get proper healthcare. Starvation is rampant in the camp.

But the United Nations and big powers sit silent, doing nothing. Only days ago the regime’s forces stopped aid agencies trying to reach the camp. Regime snipers are continuously targeting innocent people. Because of world apathy and the blind support offered by Iran and Russia to the Assad regime, people of Syria have very little to hope for from the Geneva 2 conference. A regime, which is using barrel bombs and targeting civilian areas for three years, must be brought to justice in the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Khawaja Umer Farooq