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Exclusive: U.N. Docs Expose Assad’s Starvation Campaign in Syria
While food aid begins to flow into the country, many Syrians are heading into the arms of the dictator to get it.
Articles
Features, analysis and in-depth coverage from Syria Deeply’s network of on-the-ground and remote correspondents and individual voices from Syria.
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Week in Review: Homs Is a “Theater of Death,” as Syria Slips on Chemical Weapons Delivery
To give you an overview of the latest news this week, we’ve organized the latest Syrian developments in a curated summary.
- Civil Society
- War Economy
- Articles
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Fighting Decimates Latakia’s Tourism, Shutters its Beach Resorts
Once a safe haven, the Alawite province’s hotels and restaurants are in the line of fire. Widespread closures are reported, and development has been brought to a standstill.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
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On Tracking Syria’s Western Jihadis
As the number of European jihadists in Syria grows, officials say the situation could be more dangerous to the West than Afghanistan. We look at why this conflict has proved more exciting to budding extremists.
- Arts & Culture
- ISIS
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Conversations: As Barrel Bombs Fall, Moving a Wedding from Aleppo
After a barrel bombing campaign makes transport – and public gatherings – too risky, a young bride is forced to move her wedding to Gaziantep.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Assad Offers Syrian Voters a First: Another Name on the Ballot
An Assad has not faced a challenger for the presidency since 1970, when Hafez al-Assad seized power. Now, that could change.
- Civil Society
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Conversations: A Doctor in Jayroud
There’s a temporary ceasefire in the city, but hospital staff say they and their equipment have been moved to a government-held area. Now they tell us how it’s impacting Jayroud’s residents.
- Civil Society
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My Syrian Diary: Part 1
As part of a collaboration between Syria Deeply and Rookie, we’re publishing the memoirs of a teenage girl living in the midst of Syria’s war.
- Human Rights
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U.N. Security Council Looks at Torture and Abuse
On Tuesday the U.N. Security Council will convene privately to consider and view images from a report about the alleged torture and execution of detainees by the Syrian government.
- Human Rights
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Malnutrition, Desperation Still Plague Yarmouk
Syria’s Yarmouk refugee camp has been under siege by the Syrian army since December 18. Starvation, malnutrition and disease are growing threats.
- Displacement
- Health
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Photo Essay: Coping Skills and Trauma Therapy in Jordan
More than 80% of the almost 600,000 Syrians in Jordan live in urban areas outside of refugee camps. With no sign of the conflict ending, local and international NGOs are trying to help Syrians cope with daily life.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Week in Review: Amid New Chemical Attacks and Battlefield Shifts, Assad Looks Ahead
To give you an overview of the latest news this week, we’ve organized the latest Syrian developments in a curated summary.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Conversations: One Man’s Memoirs of Detention in Damascus
Thousands of civilians are thought to be in custody of both Syrian state security and opposition groups. Once a biology student in the Syrian capital, one man, now free and living in Istanbul, takes us through his seven months of detention in centers around the city.
- Displacement
- Human Rights
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Syrian Babies, Born Refugees, Left Without a State
Tens of thousands of refugee babies born during Syria’s crisis are undocumented, without passports, birth certificates, or other documents that will give them access to civil and social benefits.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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Town by Town, Assad Regime Retakes Southwestern Syria
The battle for the last major rebel-held town in Qalamoun looms after a five-month campaign. A regime victory would afford it uninterrupted control of southwestern Syria.
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Conversations: A Defected Assad Soldier Ekes Out a Living
At 32, a Syrian army deserter from Hama finds himself without a passport, eking out a living as an amateur trader, selling clothes between Turkey and Syria.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Battle for Ghouta Moves Slowly as Government Looks Beyond Siege Tactics
We look at why fighting has intensified in the Damascus suburbs, and why it will continue for months.
- Civil Society
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Local Initiatives, Including Homemade Yogurt, Tackle Rising Unemployment
As joblessness skyrockets, civilians in Damascus province are tackling the problem by spearheading small projects – from ceramic painting to schools to yogurt – which provide employment.
- Human Rights
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As Drought Looms, WFP Cuts Food Aid for Lack of Funds
Despite a January conference that raised more than $2.3 billion in pledges, Syria’s international donors are stalling and the U.N. has been forced to reduce the amount of food in its family parcels by 20 percent. Now, a drought is poised to hit some of the country’s hardest-hit areas.
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- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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Conversations: On the Turkish Border, a Young Widow Rebuilds Her Life
At 28, she finds herself living away from home and without her husband: “My emotions right now just feel up and down, up and down.”.
- Displacement
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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A Soldier’s 12-Hour Walk to Lebanon with an Injured Leg
In search of better medical care, an FSA soldier makes a 12-hour journey on foot to the Bekaa valley.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Assad Confident As Rebels Continue Latakia Offensive
Rebel fighters and the Syrian army continue to fight for control of Observatory 45, a strategic hilltop post in the Alawite heartland. Analysts say the government is confident of victory.
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
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The Voice of a Kurdish Woman, Doing Battle in Qamishli
We speak with a fighter from the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), an all-female fighting unit established by the PYD.
- Health
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Doctors Report New Chemical Attacks in Eastern Damascus
As the government moves the remaining half of its chemical weapons cache out of Damascus, Syrian doctors in the field allege small-scale chemical attacks throughout the capital city’s suburbs.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- War Economy
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Facing Electricity Cuts, Aleppo Creates a Generator Economy
As power shuts off for days at a time, residents of Aleppo have created their own unofficial energy economy, importing large generators and selling their services.
- Civil Society
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Syrian Government Fights to Regain Ground in Latakia
With the National Defense Forces claiming victory in a message posted to Facebook, we look at how much of its home turf the Syrian Army has managed to reclaim since the rebel offensive began Mar. 21.
- Human Rights
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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Aid Groups Say Government, Opposition Both Blocking Aid to Syrian Civilians
After a multi-truck delivery from Turkey proved a once-off, our experts discuss how well Syria’s government and opposition have complied with the Security Council’s resolution 2139, which called for swift and unimpressed aid.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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In Damascus, Battling Skyrocketing Transportation Expenses
As taxi cabs go unregulated, some civilians say they are spending the majority of their wages getting to work each day. But drivers say fuel hikes and other operating costs necessitate the higher fares.
- Civil Society
- Health
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Syria ER: Psychological State of Syrian Doctors is ‘Deteriorating’
As violence unfolds around them in makeshift hospitals near the front lines, Syrian medical staffers are increasingly prone to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental ailments.
- Arts & Culture
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Arts + Culture: Images that Show Turkey the Human Side of Syria’s War
As the number of Syrians in Turkey grows, so does prejudice towards the hundreds of thousands many Turks fear are in the country to stay. But in Istanbul, a photo exhibit sought to put a human face on the conflict.
- Civil Society
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Children Being Detained and Tortured in Syria, Violating Legal Rights, Says UNICEF
As the number of displaced children approaches 4.5 million, we look at what their rights are, and where they’re being violated.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Week in Review: Desperation Sets in, as Syria’s Government Prepares an Election
To give you an overview of the latest news this week, we’ve organized the latest Syrian developments in a curated summary.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Government Remains Confident, While Stretching its Manpower in Latakia
On the heels of victory in Yabroud, we look at how the offensive in Latakia is stretching Assad’s resources. Despite diverting manpower from Idlib and Hama, the government is assured.
- Civil Society
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With Syria, 3 Years In
More than three years into Syria’s war, over 2 million Syrians have fled their country. Nearly 600,000 of them are seeking refuge in Jordan. As the world deliberates about Syria’s humanitarian crisis, what are Syrians in Jordan thinking and feeling?
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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Rebels Push into Latakia, in a Symbolic and Strategic Offensive
After opposition forces take Kasab, we look at why the push could hurt the government’s position in the Alawite heartland, and why it’s more than just symbolism.
- Displacement
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Refugees in Grim Global Spotlight After Syrian Woman Self-Immolates in Tripoli
As Syrian refugees face poverty, hunger and unemployment in northern Lebanon, one woman, unable to feed her four children, re-triggers global debate by staging her own jarring protest.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
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Syria at the Center of a Splintered Arab League
With tensions running high across the region, what came of this week’s annual summit in Kuwait, and what are Syrian attitudes towards their Arab neighbors at its conclusion? Our experts weigh in.
- Health
- Human Rights
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The Scope of Syria’s Polio Problem
Fouad M. Fouad and Annie Sparrow, two doctors with extensive experience in Syria, weigh in on how big the infectious disease threat could become.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Articles
Barrel Bomb Offensive Expands in Aleppo
As the government’s aerial bombardment of Aleppo continues, Human Rights Watch has been studying satellite imagery to figure out where the bombs are falling. We talk to Syria researcher Lama Fakih, who says this round is “different” than the last.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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The Impact of Turkey’s Takedown of a Syrian Fighter Jet
After the Turkish Army shoots down a Syrian fighter jet that strayed across its border, Turks worry both that the incident represents an escalation in fighting between the two, and that Prime Minister Erdogan will increase his war rhetoric the week before local elections.