Reports | 25 05 2020
Circa six thousand civilians were displaced from the southern regions of Hama to the northern Homs countryside, following the Syrian regime bombing of their areas, and the eruption of battles there.
Most of the arrivals areas in the Houla region north of Homs are families who have fled in the dark, in search of life and safety far removed from the death, shelling, and fighting.
Children—The Weakest Link?
As quite tragically usual, children are the biggest losers of such violence, through displacement and migration, and in the shadow of bombing and fighting. This was the case of Abdulrahman and Suleiman both of whom were forced to leave after the Syrian regime’s most recent campaign, to the villages of Deir al-Faradis, Hurr bi-Nafso, and Talaf in the southern Hama countryside.
"We ran at night when they started shelling us. We arrived in Hurr bi-Nafso, and they also started to shell us. All the way here they started hitting us with shells, Dushkas [Russian anti-armor ammunition] and mortars,” the two children say.
Fait Accompli
The displacement of hundreds of families towards the town of Houla in the northern Homs countryside, leaving everything behind; has had an adverse effect not only on them, but on the people of the region. Rozana meets Abu Hassan, who fled with his family to the area.
The man says of his own trek: "We exited with only the clothes on our backs. We left everything, even the animals that are the source of our livelihood. The shelling was from all sides. We are now residing in one of Hula’s schools, waiting to see the developments. We hope to return to our homes, because Hula itself is besieged. The people still have offered us their help, they brought us in when we escaped, and provided us with aid—such as food and other items."
The Hula Local Council: Helpless!
The numbers of displaced people from the southern Hama countryside are quite large. This constitutes a new burden on the opposition’s local and civic councils in the northern Homs countryside—especially in the Houla area. They are experiencing a siege by Syrian regime forces, for the past three years.
This did not, however, prevent the local councils and associations in the region, to provide whatever is available to the displaced, according to local council member Abu Obeida in his interview with Rozana. He appeals to humanitarian organizations to provide immediate support.
“Circa 6 thousand displaced people came into Hula from Hurr bi-Nafso and Deir al-Faradis due to the regime forces’ bombing. We have to provide blankets and sponges. We ask relief organizations to extend their support to the local council of the city of Houla because our capacity is weak,” the man explains.
It seems that the continued fighting in the villages of the southern Hama countryside, between the regime and the opposition, does not bode well for a swift return of the displaced. Their numbers are constantly increasing with the expansion of the geographic area of the battles; thereby placing increased pressure on the beleaguered Houla area, originally under a strangulating blockade.