Humanitarian crisis in Suwayda: church turned into emergency shelters
The situation in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, where fighting between different ethnic and religious communities has caused widespread bloodshed and suffering, remains dire. The attacks also affect Christian communities in the area.
Sources close to the charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) say that, despite the serious risk, the Capuchin church of Jesus the King in the city of Suwayda has now become a shelter for some 250 people – between 60 and 70 families from different villages. They survive under extreme conditions and continuous bombardment. The vast majority of those sheltering there are Christians.
“In recent days, the church compound was hit by intense shelling. A shell struck the monastery, causing significant damage to water tanks and glass windows. Miraculously, no one inside the church was injured”, one of the local sources, whose identity is not disclosed for security reasons, told ACN.
This is not the first case of a church being damaged in the Syrian conflict. The Greek-Melkite church of St. Michael in Al-Sura was lately attacked, suffering significant damage.
Most of the refugee families have lost their homes due to fires and looting which have devastated the region. “The local hospital is out of service, with more than 1,200 bodies awaiting burial for over a week. Despite these horrific conditions, residents have organised themselves by collecting small amounts of diesel from each household to power a generator for sterilisation. In the absence of medical staff, women from the community have volunteered to clean the blood-stained hospital rooms”, explains the same source.
Suwayda: Under siege and sniper fire
“Life in Suwayda has become unbearable”, warns the source. The lack of water and electricity, combined with the depletion of food supplies and the looting of warehouses, creates a desperate scenario. ACN’s project partners warn of the growing risk of outbreaks of epidemic due to the shortage of essential medical supplies such as insulin, antibiotics, and surgical materials. Urgent needs extend to infant formula, diapers, female hygiene products, disinfectants, and basic foods.
“The local community is offering everything it has to help each other, but soon there will be nothing left”, says another contacted source, whose identity the charity also opted not to disclose. “The siege continues, and sniper fire makes it impossible to get out. Sporadic gunshots are heard and fear is constant, with no clarity on who the fighting factions are. There are still many missing people; they could be in other villages, or dead in their homes”, says the same source.
“Dehumanisation beyond belief”
A religious sister close to ACN, who also asked not to be identified, is in contact with families who have sought refuge in eastern Suwayda, where the situation is “relatively safer, but only in comparison, as the entire city remains in deep crisis”.
“Many are experiencing severe panic attacks, emotional breakdowns, and extreme anxiety. There is an urgent need for sedatives and mental health support; people cannot sleep, they are overwhelmed by fear and horror”, she tells ACN.
The religious sister describes how after 10 days of siege they feel “completely trapped. The roads are dangerous, filled with sniper fire and chaos. No humanitarian corridor has been established, and no aid has reached the city”.
Call to the world: we need an urgent humanitarian corridor
“The situation is one of dehumanisation beyond belief, with dead bodies lying in the streets. There is no dignity left for the living, nor for the dead”, states the sister, an ACN project partner, who makes a desperate appeal: “We call on the world to act: we need an urgent humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians or to bring critical medical and food aid. We need mental health support, essential medicines, international attention, compassion, and above all, immediate action”.
“We are living through a dire tragedy. We don’t know how we will continue or how this will stop and what the aftermath will be, whether on our physical and mental health. Our needs are endless, but what we truly need is prayer and God’s intervention; only He can get us out of this.”
ACN is in direct contact with the local church. While current circumstances make it impossible to send aid to the besieged area, the foundation maintains many other emergency projects in the country.
