THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS

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THE SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SYRIAN CRISIS

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HON. BRENDAN F. BOYLE

of pennsylvania

in the house of representatives

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today marks the

start of the eighth year for the Syrian crisis. We are no closer to a

peaceful resolution to the conflict. Arguably, the situation has only

gotten worse, particularly in Eastern Ghouta where the Assad regime is

doubling down on its bombings and chemical attacks on civilians. The

International Committee of the Red Cross proclaims that suffering in

Eastern Ghouta has reached a \\\`\\\`critical point,'' stating that

\\\`\\\`ordinary people are once again trapped in a situation where life

slowly becomes impossible and where goods and aid are severely

limited.''

Before the war, the country was, by Arab standards, solidly middle

income with vibrant communities. Today, Syria's development has

regressed by nearly four decades, and the Syrian economy has contracted

by an estimated 40 percent. The majority of Syrians have lost their

livelihoods. School attendance has dropped over 50 percent with more

than two million children now out of school. An estimated 13.5 million

people, including six million children, are in need of serious

humanitarian assistance. 4.5 million of these people are in hard-to-

reach areas, including 540,000 people in eleven besieged areas. The

numbers are staggering. And we all know the images are beyond words.

Meanwhile, Assad and Putin continue to indiscriminately target

civilians in all locations, as well as civilian hospitals, despite a

late February UN resolution calling for a cessation of hostilities to

enable humanitarian access to those in need of aid.

These atrocities led me to introduce \[H. Res. 632\](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/632), which condemns

Assad and Putin for their attacks on hospitals and medical personnel in

Syria, and calls on our Secretary of State to work with the

international community to conduct investigations into these serious

violations of international humanitarian law.

The United States must send a clear message to Assad and Putin that

the international community is watching and we will hold them

accountable. As the fighting enters its eighth year, I urge this

administration to complete a comprehensive U.S. strategy for Syria that

specifically addresses civilian protection and these attacks on

humanitarian service providers.

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