World must step up aid to Syria, too

They had nothing to begin with, and the impact of the quakes has been particularly devastating for several reasons

Although the full impact of the two earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday is yet to unfold, it is evident that the 7.8 magnitude temblors are among the deadliest to hit the region in decades. So far, the bodies of over 9,500 people have been found. The World Health Organisation says that the death toll could rise to over 20,000. What makes the disaster particularly heart-breaking is that many of its victims are those who had been battered by other catastrophes. The epicentre of the quakes was Gaziantep in southern Turkey, where over half a million Syrian refugees who had been forced out of their homes during the devastating civil war had taken sanctuary. But as it turns out, their new homes in southern Turkey were hardly safe. They had nothing to begin with, and the survivors will have to rebuild their broken lives yet again. The impact of the quakes has been particularly devastating for several reasons. Not only did the two powerful earthquakes strike in quick succession but also, they were shallow. Multi-storey buildings have crumbled to heaps of bricks and twisted metal, and homes in vast swathes of Turkey and Syria have been reduced to rubble. Rescue operations are still on. But with hopes of finding survivors diminishing with each passing hour, the focus will shift soon to recovery and relief.

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Several countries have responded swiftly to calls for help. India, for instance, has dispatched personnel to help with rescue operations, food, medicines, blankets and tents. People are having to live out in the open in freezing temperatures. Governments must loosen their purse strings to provide robust support to the victims and their families.

Experience from conflict zones in the region and elsewhere show that unlike governments, rebels and militants respond with alacrity to help the people, mobilising their well-established local networks to deliver relief. This was the case with the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which mobilised its cadres to provide relief to people in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir after the 2005 earthquake. Their efforts paid off as recruitment surged subsequently.

The quake in Turkey and Syria is in a region that is plagued by jihadist ideologies, armed conflict, and civil war. Groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda and their offshoots are alive and active in the region. If the international community fails to step up to help earthquake victims, people will turn to the jihadists for help, which will in turn, revive their capacities and reignite civil wars. Many countries, including the western powers, are sending in help to Turkey but ignoring Syria’s needs. They must put aside their geopolitical aims and rivalries to help the Syrian government with aid and reconstruction support.