Civilians in the Yarmouk refugee camp, located on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, have been living under siege for more than 2 years. Before the Syrian civil war began, Yarmouk had 150,000 refugees living there as well as its own mosques, schools, and buildings. Since 2012 however, the camp has been blockaded by Syrian government troops as well as Rebel forces, leaving them with little access to water, food supplies, and electricity. This month, there have been especially heavy clashes with ISIS troops attacking the district. ISIS now has control of 90% of the camp. The fighting has made it extremely difficult for aid agencies to provide supplies. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness explained that the situation is extremely difficult."We now have an intense armed conflict raging in the streets, people are cowering in their homes, too terrified to move," he said.
These circumstances have prompted one UN official to describe the situation for the 18,000 refugees there as "beyond inhumane". One April 20th, the The United Nations Security Council has expressed “deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in Yarmouk refugee camp.” Accordingly, the UN demands access to Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus in order to help with the deteriorating situations. The chair of the 15-member Security Council, Jordan's ambassador Dina Kawar, called for the protection of civilians, humanitarian access and life-saving assistance. The UN's sheer lack of access to the area illustrates the risk and vulnerability capacity of the camp. It is pertinent for the international community to provide some sort of aid to the refugees trapped and escaping the camp. Otherwise this already disastrous situation will intensify, leaving civilians suffering not only from attacks by ISIS and the Syrian army, but also from a lack of food and shelter.
The situation in Yarmouk is nothing short of a humanitarian disaster. Each aspect of the 'Risk= Hazard/Threat x Vulnerability x Impact' equation is fulfilled. The refugees have already succumb to the hazard and threats of both ISIS and the Syrian army, leaving many civilian casualties and rampant destruction of any and all infrastructure. The poverty and lack of infrastructure adds to the already vulnerable state of the refugee camp. The impact of the violence has left Yarmouk in ruins, resulting in thousands of people desperate to flee the area but with nowhere to go. Moreover, the besiege of Yarmouk is a disaster as it leaves thousands of civilians at a great risk for death and may worsen the already awful Syrian refugee crisis.
This video demonstrates some of the extensive damage in Yarmouk.
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