Reports | 25 05 2020
Nizar al-Arabi - Hama Aqrab is a small town located in the rural southern province of Hama. The town is surrounded by villages loyal to the Syrian regime, where military units are stationed making Aqrab vulnerable to bombing and shelling. Yet the awful humanitarian situation in refugee camps forced the majority of Aqrab inhabitants to stay in their town under constant shelling.
With the ongoing shelling and bombing, the locals had to find a solution to protect themselves from the random artillery shelling. So, they started digging primitive underground shelters to protect themselves. Khaled, from Aqrab, told us that the town is besieged from all sides, and is a target of daily explosive barrels and artillery shelling.
Therefore, the locals started digging shelters with their hands. These shelters are very primitive underground caves surrounded with piles of dirt. They have no proper support and might collapse at any moment, but this is the only effective available solution to protect civilians according to Khaled who adds: “We cover the dirt walls with plastic bags for insulation to protect the children from dust." when the shelling starts, children rush off to the nearest refuge to hide, "they have memorized the locations... Their reactions have become automatic. They run in confused and terrified, and we try to calm them down by playing with them and giving them candy”