Millions Starving in Syria and Elsewhere as Food is Used as Weapon

According to Business Insider, soldiers fighting in the various bloody conflicts in the Middle East today are using food as a weapon. The result: millions of people from

Ban Ki-moon. Secretary – General, UN. Photo by ITU Pictures from Geneva, Switzerland

Yemen to Syria and Iraq, are starving, and some cases dying from starvation.

Children have been hit the hardest. Without basic nutrition children succumb more readily to malnutrition. Their parents are forced to sell their possessions to get the most basic commodities such as water, medicine and fuel, just to keep alive.

The worst country is Syria, where a civil war has already devastated the country for five years. Estimates are that half the population of Syria has been displaced while a quarter of a million have perished. All the belligerents in the conflict have used blockades to force submission and surrender.

Humanitarian workers have recently arrived at one Syrian town witnessing scenes that “haunt the soul,” according to Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He pointed his finger at President Bashar Assad of Syria as well as at the rebels for using food as a weapon, saying starving the population on purpose is a war crime.

Syrian Conflict Creating Bus Shortage for Haj Pilgrims

Buses During Haj

Syrian instability could lead to a serious shortage of buses to transport people coming to Saudi Arabia for the soon to arrive Haj season.

The president of the National Haj and Umrah Committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Saad Al-Qurashi, said that his committee is already well involved in organizing for the upcoming Haj season, with procedures for registration counters to open already underway.

"But they are still awaiting the Haj Ministry's spot allocations for companies and institutions in the holy sites of Mina and Arafat," he said.

Due to the ongoing turmoil now taking place in Syria, the availability of buses from there, which are among the most crucial and least expensive, is uncertain. Buses from Turkey are also facing obstructions as the border there is closed.

“If buses are not available from Turkey, the Egyptian market would be considered," Al-Qurashi said.

Buses from Jordan are not an option, Al-Qurashi added, due to the high prices that bus companies there charge.

Oman Pledges Support to Syrian Leadership

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman sent a message of support to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria via the Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi during his visit to Damascus this past week.

Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi

The Syrian president and the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem met with bin Alawi to discuss the latest events taking place in the region with an emphasis on the developments now in Libya and Yemen.

Crisis in Syria Discussed

The leaders discussed the volatile situation in Syria as well. President al-Assad told Alawi about the violence which is being perpetrated by armed, organized groups who are specifically targeting Syria’s security and its citizens.

President al-Assad explained to the Omani delegation that he is confident that Syria will be able to deal with the present crisis and come out stronger and more united when control is regained.

Oman Pledges Support for Syria

Bin Alawi was also told about the reforms which Syria is beginning to institute by the Syrian leadership. The Omani Foreign Minister pledged total support of and confidence in Syria from Oman, explaining that Oman stands together with Syria against the destabilizing efforts of the opposition and the terrorism they are committing against the Syrian people.

In recent months the Syrian president has received letters from several kings and leaders of Arab countries pledging their complete and total support of the security and stability of Syria.