'Don't forget Syria' says Jesuit in Aleppo

The director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Syria has described the situation in areas close to the Turkish border as “particularly critical” and he appealed to governments to help the survivors of last week’s catastrophic earthquake.

Speaking to The Tablet from the Syrian city of Aleppo, Irish Jesuit Fr Tony O’Riordan said the death toll, which currently stands at over 37,000, could rise substantially among those sleeping in the open or in unheated tents, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, infants and those with underlying health conditions without access to medicines.

“This is one of the worst disasters to hit this region in over 100 years. We can’t leave the people on their own to deal with this, we need to help them.

“I think there is an obligation on governments not to forget Syria even as this catastrophe moves off the media’s spotlight.”

He said he was concerned for rural areas where the infrastructure is not in place to allow aid to get through. “This is critical to keep the death toll down and sustain life.”

Fr O’Riordan, who worked in South Sudan before moving to Syria, lamented how the plight of Syrian refugees in southern Turkey and the humanitarian situation within Syria caused by the ongoing conflict, had dropped off governments radars before the quake.

“When a disaster like this happens, all the normal infrastructure that supports life is fragmented. But even before the earthquake, these supports, especially for the poorest of the poor, were extremely under strain.

“So people were hungry, people were struggling to get access to medication, they were struggling to keep warm. The earthquake has compounded that.”

The JRS, he said, was responding by providing medical services in Aleppo and meeting basic humanitarian needs such as blankets, food and tents in rural areas.

“The most striking thing is the level of trauma among survivors. Whole villages have been wiped out in some places. I know one man who lost 15 members of his family – how do you deal with that level of grief?”