Nesrine BouguerraOn the 31/12/2012 and across the world; major cities were preparing their massive celebrations for the passage to another exciting year 2013. Delightful gatherings and new year wishes filled up the atmosphere; those talking about their achievements in 2012 and others planning and wishing the best for 2013. Some nations celebrated the passage to 2013, others like Syria are still stuck in 2012. We celebrated, enjoyed the new year, laughed and cheered up, forgetting that other nations like Syria are celebrating theirs with bombs. Pleasant shows filled up the skies of New York, California, London, Hong Kong, among others. In the Arab world, Dubai as usual, amazed the world with its spectacular show of multicolored fireworks danced up and down the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. A plush show took place, in which Dubai, proudly announces its celebration for the new year, with the world.It has been reported that around 1 million and half spectacular was present at Burj Khalifa. UAE was highly criticised for spending over $200 million in a firework show and ignoring the Syrian struggle. Meanwhile, when the world was enjoying the evening, events in Syria were violently progressing.
During the same evening, Assad Bombs replaced fireworks. Syrian opposition declared that the last day of 2012 has witnessed the killing of 119 Syrian. The Syrian army intensified operations on the city of Darayya ,Damascus, trying to recover from the grip of rebels. In conjunction , the Syrian Prime Minister, Wael Al Halaqi, declared that his country would “respond to any regional or international initiative to resolve the crisis.” Local coordination committees , which is an opposition body, declared that the death toll reached 119 dead, including six children, 40 others in Damascus and its countryside, 32 in Aleppo , 12 in Hama, 10 in Homs, 8 in Idleb, 4 in Daraa , 3 in Deir Al-zour and 1 in Kenitra.
The committees indicated the bombing of 312 points; 21 targeted by air raids, a MiG aircraft was airdropped in Damascus, along with two helicopters; the first landed in rural Idleb and the second in Aleppo. Politically, the Syrian Prime Minister, Wael Halaqi, addressed the people’s Assembly, declaring that his Government “continues to execute its initial statement”, adding that the work is “in extraordinary circumstances as Syria is facing an immense conspiracy. He further argues that the Government will “support the national reconciliation project and respond with any regional or international initiative to resolve the current crisis through dialogue and peaceful ways and prevent outside interference in Syrian internal affairs”.
The Syrian conflict is still ongoing; the 15th March 2013 will mark the second year of continuous armed clash between forces loyal to the Syrian Ba’ath Party government and those seeking to oust it. 60.000 Syrians have been killed since and the International Community is not only struggling to make an end to this conflict, but also to protect basic human rights in the country. Whether it was called an Arab Spring, Western Conspiracy, Civil war and Syria’s internal affairs; the victim is one, the Public. The Syrian conflict is very much progressing similarly to the Algerian Civil war 1990-2000, a black decade where the Algerian personality was destroyed; more than 250.000 lives were proclaimed in the absence of the UN and the International community under the name of: Algeria’s internal affairs. A struggle for power, similar to that of Syria, was relevant between the Radical Islamic Party “FIS” and the Ruling government, the outcome was a terrorised and depressed society with deep unhealed scars up to date.