Wiederaufbau in Syrien
Herausforderungen und Handlungsoptionen für die EU und ihre MitgliedstaatenSWP-Studie 2020/S 07, 20.04.2020, 37 Seiten
doi:10.18449/2020S07v02
Dr. Muriel Asseburgist Senior Fellow in der Forschungsgruppe Naher / Mittlerer Osten und Afrika.
■ Der Bürgerkrieg in Syrien ist längst militärisch zugunsten des Regimes entschieden. Eine verhandelte Konfliktregelung, eine Aussöhnung oder eine nachhaltige Stabilisierung sind für das Land nicht in Sicht.
■ Syrien steht vor enormen Herausforderungen, die über den Wiederaufbau von Infrastruktur und Wohnraum weit hinausgehen. Dazu gehören vor allem Anschubhilfe für eine wirtschaftliche Erholung, die Stabilisierung der Währung und die Erneuerung staatlicher Versorgungsleistungen, insbesondere bei Bildung, Gesundheit, Strom und Wasser.
■ Der Ansatz der syrischen Führung, die wirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen der Covid-19-Pandemie und die geopolitischen Interessen der Regional- und Großmächte machen es äußerst unwahrscheinlich, dass ausreichend Mittel für einen umfassenden Wiederaufbau Syriens zur Verfügung stehen werden. Ebenso wenig ist zu erwarten, dass die Ressourcen gemäß dem Bedarf der Bevölkerung eingesetzt werden.
■ Die EU und ihre Mitgliedstaaten haben ein Engagement beim Wiederaufbau Syriens von tragfähigen Schritten in Richtung einer verhandelten Konfliktregelung und einer politischen Öffnung des Landes abhängig gemacht. Sie sollten ihren Ansatz so anpassen, dass er besser den Herausforderungen vor Ort und der aktuellen Realität entspricht.
■ Das bedeutet insbesondere, humanitäre Hilfe effektiver einzusetzen, sektorale Sanktionen abzubauen und die Rehabilitierung von Basisinfrastruktur auch in Gebieten zu unterstützen, die unter Kontrolle der syrischen Regierung stehen. Auf diese Weise ließe sich wirksamer als bislang zur Linderung der Not und zur Verbesserung der Lebensbedingungen beitragen.
■ Eine nachhaltige Stabilisierung Syriens ist allerdings nur zu erreichen, wenn dort tiefgreifende Reformen durchgeführt werden. In diesem Sinne sollten die Europäer ihren »More for More«-Ansatz ausbuchstabieren.
■ Von einer vollständigen Normalisierung gegenüber den Spitzen des Assad-Regimes sollten die Europäer absehen. Stattdessen sind sie gefordert, die strafrechtliche Aufarbeitung von Kriegsverbrechen, schweren Menschenrechtsverletzungen und dem Einsatz international geächteter Waffen noch aktiver als bislang zu unterstützen.
Ein schwieriger Wiederaufbau: Perspektiven europäischer Initiativen in Syrien
2/2019 Autor/in: Stefan Lukas, Marius Paradies
Daraya in Ruinen
Daraya in Ruinen
Kinder verloren in den Truemmern ihrer Stadt
Daraya war ein Symbol der Rebellion gegen den syrischen Präsidenten Baschar al-Assad. Nun kommen einst Geflüchtete in den Ort zurück
Inlandsvertriebene leben am Rand von Daraya.
Juli 2021. Es ist heiß, die Luft von Staub erfüllt. Am Kontrollpunkt vor Daraya, der einstigen »Hochburg der Revolution« im Süden von Damaskus, herrscht reger Verkehr. Die einfahrenden Autos werden von den Soldaten zügig abgefertigt. Auf der Gegenspur reihen sich Lastwagen aneinander, die mit Müll und Schrott aus dem Ort herausfahren.
Unser Wagen wird zur Seite gewinkt. Die Überprüfung der Papiere und Genehmigungen dauert. Um als ausländische Journalistin Daraya besuchen zu können, müssen sowohl das Informationsministerium als auch die Pressestelle der Armee ihre Einwilligung geben. Gegenüber dem Kontrollpunkt liegt eine Gärtnerei, die mit allerlei Grün – Farbe und Pflanzen – auf sich aufmerksam macht. Fast alle Fahrzeuge werden ohne weitere Kontrollen von den Soldaten durchgelassen. Kleine und größere Lastwagen transportieren Holz, Eisenstangen und Maschinen. Private Pkw sind mit Paketen und Einrichtungsgegenständen beladen. Service-Busse, die den öffentlichen Nahverkehr zwischen den Vorstädten und Damaskus bewältigen, sind dicht mit Männern, Frauen und Kindern besetzt.
(…)
»80 000 Menschen leben wieder in Daraya«, beginnt er, noch bevor eine Frage gestellt ist. Vor dem Krieg seien es 300 000 gewesen. Alle Einrichtungen für die Bevölkerung seien geöffnet, fährt er fort: Schulen, Geschäfte, ein Gesundheitszentrum stehe zwölf Stunden täglich für die Versorgung der Einwohner zur Verfügung. Heute werde das Gericht von Daraya wieder eröffnet, daher habe er nur wenig Zeit: »Das Gericht ist sehr wichtig, weil es den Menschen, die sich um- oder anmelden, die Klagen einreichen oder sich beschweren wollen, den umständlichen und teuren Weg nach Damaskus erspart.«
(…)
Karin Leukefeld, Daraya 18.08.2021, 14:54
Thousands of Syrians start returning to Daraya: state media
By Reuters Staff
3 MIN READ
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Thousands of Syrians began returning to Daraya on Tuesday, state media said, for the first time since government forces clawed back the Damascus suburb from rebels two years ago.
Eine Million syrische Flüchtlinge zurückgekehrt
In vielen Landesteilen gibt es keine Kämpfe mehr. Die UN warnen aber, dass in einigen Gegenden Syriens eine Rückkehr für Flüchtlinge noch nicht sicher sei.
5. Oktober 2018, 10:29 UhrQuelle: ZEIT ONLINE, AP, mbr
eine Million geflohene Menschen sind nach Angaben der Vereinten Nationen in ihre Häuser in Syrien zurückgekehrt. Dabei handele es sich überwiegend um Binnenflüchtlinge, also Menschen, die aus ihren Heimatorten in andere Teile des Landes geflohen waren, wie UN-Koordinator Ali al-Satari erläuterte. Die syrische Regierung veröffentlichte deutlich höhere Zahlen, ihr zufolge seien es 3,5 Millionen Menschen.
Mehr als 500.000 Menschen sind laut al-Satari nach Ost-Aleppo zurückgekehrt, wo eine Schlacht 2016 die halbe Stadt zerstörte. Nach Al-Rakka seien geschätzt 120.000 Menschen zurückgekommen, obwohl Landminen und andere Sprengkörper dort weiterhin eine Gefahr seien. Nach Zählungen der UN sind weiterhin mehr als fünf Millionen syrische Flüchtlinge in anderen Ländern, zudem gibt es 6,2 Millionen Binnenflüchtlinge.
| Während im Westen noch über den Wiederaufbau geredet und die Rückkehrwilligkeit der Flüchtlinge angezweifelt wird (s. Presseberichte w. u. ), sind diese längst in ihre Stadt zurückgekehrt und bauen diese aus den Trümmern wieder auf, restaurieren und rekonstruieren die jahrtausende alten Kulturdenkmäler. Das belegen der folgende Reiseberichte und die Videos aus den Jahren 2017und 2018. While the West is still talking about reconstruction and the refugees‘ willingness to return is being questioned (see press reports below), they have long since returned to their city and are rebuilding it from the rubble, restoring and reconstructing the millennia-old cultural monuments. This is proven by the following travel reports and the videos from 2017 and 2018. |
Wiederaufbau läuft – ohne den «Westen»
| Entnommen dem Reisebericht von Niklaus Ramseyer / 14. Mrz 2018 “Der Rest ist leider nicht schnell erzählt. Sieben Jahre dauert der schlimme Krieg nun schon. Aber es ist offensichtlich, dass der in Washington geplante «Türk»(!) gegen Syrien grässlich misslungen ist: Das Assad-Regime ist in Damaskus weiter fest im Sattel. Teile des eindrücklichen Landes sind zwar zerstört, aber die von Osten eingefallenen Islamisten-Horden sind weitgehend vertrieben. Und der Wiederaufbau läuft. Im Weltkulturerbe Palmyra wie auch in Aleppo.Gerade ins stark beschädigte Aleppo kehren nun mehr und mehr der vertriebenen und geflüchteten Menschen zurück. Mehrere Millionen (die meisten) der zivilen Opfer der Katastrophe waren ja in Syrien geblieben und aus Kriegsgebieten in sicherere Gegenden ausgewichen.Beim Wiederaufbau helfen vorab chinesische, indische oder russische Kreditgeber und Firmen. Der «Westen», der mit seiner «Führungsmacht» USA für die Zerstörungen mit verantwortlich ist, gibt sich hingegen knausrig. Mehr noch: Westliche Machthaber lassen ihren «Nato-Partner» Erdogan nun mit deutschen Leopard-2-Panzern jene mutigen kurdischen Truppen und Städte in Nord-Syrien zusammenschlagen, die wesentlich dazu beigetragen haben, den islamistisch-extremistischen Horror in Syrien und Irak («Islamischer Staat») zu beenden.Zu hoffen ist dennoch, dass ein paar der Polit-Grössen von Berlin über Paris bis Washington nach den grässlichen Fiaskos in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Irak und weiteren zerstörten Staaten – und nun vor allem nach dem Syrien-Horror – endlich merken, dass ihr «good military» in so weit entfernten Gegenden, über die sie meist nichts wissen, auch nichts verloren hat. So sicher ist das indes nicht. US-General Clark berichtet: Auf seine Frage, warum denn das «good military» der US-Regierung in weit entfernten Weltgegenden «Regierungen stürzen» sollte, habe ihm sein Vierstern-Kollege geantwortet: «Weiss auch nicht. Vielleicht, weil sie nicht wissen, was sie sonst tun sollen.» |
As Tourist In Damascus, The Capital Of Syria
By Christian L. Posted on Published: June 1, 2020 – Last updated: October 2, 2021
In October 2017, was I lucky to be granted a 10-day tourist visa to Syria, almost two years before every other “traveller decided to travel to Syria”.
Friends and family told me I had to be insane and that I must have a death wish to want to visit Syria in 2017. Everyone knows there is a brutal war raging in the country that is heading into its 7th year now.
The people I told about my plans were all saying the chance of entering Syria was around zero and, if I did manage to enter, I would most likely end up getting killed or kidnapped.
So when I finally managed to secure a tourist visa to Syria, I booked the first flight possible to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, since there are currently no easy flight connections to Damascus and Syria.
Streets are full of people and Shisha houses are full.
Over the 10 days, I travelled around Syria, I visited Damascus – Aleppo (Read About my visit to Aleppo by clicking here) – Homs with the countryside around it, and the Mediterranean coast before I went back to Lebanon for my flight back home to Europe.
I went to Syria with an open mind and with no political intentions at all.
How´s Damascus these days, after the war
To obtain a visa for Syria these days, you will have to get a recommendation from someone with contacts inside the country, fill out some paperwork, wait for around 9 – 10 weeks to get an answer, and pray that you will get accepted.
Most people don´t even receive an answer.
Local families in the street, all souvenir shops are open.
I left my hotel in Beirut in the afternoon with a shared taxi heading for Damascus and I would be lying if said I wasn’t excited about my trip into Syria.
The trip between the two capitals is no more than 120KM /75Miles, a journey that used to take only around 2 hours to travel between before the war, including immigration procedures.
With the circumstances these days I would be happy if I could just make it across the border and into Syria at all.
Leaving Beirut proved to be the most time-consuming on my whole trip to Damascus since I got stuck in the notorious Beirut traffic jam when leaving the city centre.
When entering the immigration office on the Lebanese side of the border I noticed early on that myself and the 5 other westerners I was travelling with was not the only foreigners crossing the border.
There were another 9 Europeans together with the tens of locals exiting Lebanon at the same time as me (the border is open 24/7). Exiting and get stamped out of Lebanon only took a few minutes.
Here´s a short video from my trip to Syria, filmed with GoPro.
The first thing I noticed when entering the Syrian side of the border is how organized and calm everything was. People are lined up in queues.
There are no soldiers around and only a few welcoming border guards. To make a long story short, the Immigration on the Syrian side took only around 20 minutes before I was stamped into the country and ready to go.
I entered Syria just in time to hear the 7 PM call to prayer from the Mosques in the distance.
When leaving the border to head towards Damascus there are a few military checkpoints to go through.
None of them was any problem at all and every single soldier greeted me and my friends with a big smile, a handshake, and a “Welcome to Syria My Friend.”
The first thing to notice when arriving in Damascus is all the street life going on; young couples holding hands in the streets, shops open everywhere, shawarma stalls next to tea and coffee stalls and, in general, the streets are full of people like in any other country.
There are no signs of war going on except the few relaxed soldiers sitting on a street corner.
Traditional Restaurant in an old home.
I only went for a fast dinner and a few beers in a traditional restaurant full of people before heading to bed.
I wanted to be fully rested and up early to explore the streets of Damascus the next morning.
After waking up early to walk around of the oldest cities in the world, I left my hotel in the old city and you quickly notice the smell of fresh bread.
The milkman is on his bike delivering milk around the old narrow streets and the fruit and vegetable stalls are full of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Established between 10,000 to 8,000 BC, Damascus is credited with being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
Things To do in Damascus
When walking around the old city, you start to wonder if there is even a war going on. There´s absolutely no damage here. All shops are open and the streets are bustling with life.
There are a few military checkpoints here and there but you don´t really notice them.
Even here the soldiers are happy to see tourists. Shopkeepers are overwhelmed with happiness when they see that tourists are back in town.
You are completely free to travel around Damascus on your own. You can take photos of everything you want except for military checkpoints and government buildings.
It´s very easy to forget that you’re in a country that ravaged by war when visiting Damascus but then you suddenly hear rocket hitting the terrorist-infested Jobar district only two km away in a straight line from where I’m staying and enjoying life.
Between 10 – 30 rockets, I could hear a day.
Just like before the war, there is plenty to see in Old Damascus – The Umayyad Mosque, the 4th holiest place in Islam, take a walk around The Souq al-Hamidiyya (old market), visit The Damascus Citadel or just get lost in the narrow streets filled with a century after century with history.
If you get tired of walking around the streets, just walk into an art gallery to have a look at modern art in Syria, relax in a local Hooka cafe while looking at bustling street life or listen to a local storyteller. Everything here is just like it was before 2011.
But like before 2011, so is the Old Town of Damascus the place you to stay to explore.
The only real reason to head into to a modern part of Damascus is if you need to do some proper shopping at a western-style shopping mall or to visit a supermarket just as well-stocked as any supermarket back in Europe or America. Everything is available here.
Overall, Damascus is so completely opposite of what the media has been telling us for the last 7 years. So I wonder if the journalists have actually ever been here themselves.
Christian churches are located right next to Mosques. Both are filled with people. Even the Jewish Synagogue in the Old City of Damascus is still open.
You will see Christian weddings around the city and Priests walking around in public. And in general, are Damascus residents enjoying life.
In the afternoon, the bars and pubs are filled with locals that enjoy a few beers and drinks together with watching European football on big screens.
And all of them are welcoming to you as a tourist. I went out drinking with the locals to 2 am before walking back to my hotel on my own.
Locals out enjoying live music
I was lucky enough to walk around and explore Damascus for 3 full days. Never did I experience any hostile or unfriendly people.
Everyone was so happy to see that tourists are back in town.
Visiting Damascus in 2017 as a tourist feels just like being home in Norway or walking around Barcelona or any big western city. Damascus is very safe and ready to welcome tourists back.
After 3 Peacefull days in Damascus was it time to leave the capital and travel north to Aleppo. Click here to read.
Travel To Aleppo as a tourist, Syria
By AuthorChristian L.Published: November 1, 2017 – Last updated: October 2, 2021
After spending 3 great days in Damascus, was it time to travel to northern Syria and to Aleppo, which was before the Syrian Civil war the largest city in Syria.
But to get to Aleppo, did I have to drive along the world´s most dangerous road, the Salamiyah – Ithriya – Khanasser Road, notorious for being attacked by Daesh (ISIS) and Al Qaeda, and getting shut down for days.
And yes, Daesh (ISIS) attacked the road the same day I travel it as well, less than 1hour after I passed by it.
After spending 3 great days in Damascus, was it time to travel to northern Syria and to Aleppo, which was before the Syrian Civil war the largest city in Syria.
But to get to Aleppo, did I have to drive along the world´s most dangerous road, the Salamiyah – Ithriya – Khanasser Road, notorious for being attacked by Daesh (ISIS) and Al Qaeda, and getting shut down for days.
And yes, Daesh (ISIS) attacked the road the same day I travel it as well, less than 1hour after I passed by it.
The road between the two biggest cities in Syria used to take only 5 hours to drive; however, these days, it will take you between 7 to 9 hours.It´s now really easy to visit Syria; click here to read about the travel guide about how to get the visa in less than 48hours.
Watch this 3min long video that I filmed with my GoPro during my trip to Syria.
Mostly because of the detour you have to take along Salamiyah – Ithriya – Khanasser road (The highway is off-limits since it goes through deep Al Qaeda land), and there a few compulsory military checkpoints with friendly soldiers who do papers checks. This rarely takes more than a minute or two. UPDATE, the M5 highway to Aleppo reopened in early 2020.
Getting close to Aleppo now.
Local kids posing for a photo when having a fast drink stop.
When you finally reach Aleppo, you will go through the broken parts of East Aleppo, the places where some of the most fierce battles in the war happened.
There are three sides to every story: yours, theirs, and the truth somewhere in the middle.
But it doesn’t take long before you notice that only a small part of Aleppo is destroyed; as soon as you reach central Aleppo, the city is bustling with life, just like Damascus. So too are the shops, restaurants, supermarkets, and parks filled with people.
Yes, There´s a lot of destruction in Aleppo, especially the historical old part of town with the Souq (market) and surrounding areas are mostly destroyed, but rebuilding has already started.
But there’s far less destruction in Aleppo than what the media has been telling us; only about 20% of Aleppo is destroyed or damaged. The city centre is mostly unharmed.
Contents [hide]
- But there’s far less destruction in Aleppo than what the media has been telling us; only about 20% of Aleppo is destroyed or damaged. The city centre is mostly unharmed.
- I was never told that I could not visit an area, or even told that I wasn’t allowed to take photos!
- The Remains of The Old Souq.
- Umayyad Mosque, The Great Mosque Of Aleppo.
- Aleppo Citadel after the war.
- Like It? Share It! Pin It!
The university is open together with 913! schools, the local trains are running, and there are seven public transportation routes around the city.
Aleppo Trains station, there’s a local train running, the station opened in 1912! On the 25th of January 2017, train services resumed in Aleppo for the first time in four years.
The I Love Aleppo sign is a popular selfie spot for locals; notice the rebuilding of the hotel in the background.
As a foreigner in Aleppo, you may think that big parts of the city were off-limits? Not at all! I was granted full access to inside the Aleppo Citadel, to walk around the old Souq, visit the devastating remains of the historic Umayyad Mosque, and to visit East Aleppo. I was in the Citadel before CNN, BBC, etc. This was in 2017 before Syria started to reopen for tourists.
I was even allowed to visit a school that Desh (ISIS) and Al Qaeda used as headquarters.
Not what you expect to see in Aleppo? An American Sports car and a palm tree-lined boulevard. You do see a few American sports cars around the streets of Aleppo.
Rebuilding is happening all over Aleppo.
The streets of Aleppo.
I was never told that I could not visit an area, or even told that I wasn’t allowed to take photos!
Before the war in the Old City of Aleppo is one of the highlights of every trip to Syria; it was even added to the UNESCO world heritage list all the way back in 1986!
The Aleppo Citadel from the eastern side. There are tons of photos from the Citadel further down on this post.
Me leaving the Citadel, I’m probably the most obvious looking tourist in all of Syria. Notice that the restaurant on the far right side of the photo is open again!
From the UNESCO website:
Located at the crossroads of several trade routes from the 2nd millennium B.C., Aleppo was ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelukes and Ottomans. The 13th-century citadel, 12th-century Great Mosque and various 17th-century madrasas, palaces, caravanserais and hammams all form part of the city’s cohesive.
It´s heartbreaking to walk around the Old City of Aleppo and see all the destruction that happens here. But where there’s sorrow, there´s hope.
A few shopkeepers in the old Souq are working every day and night to rebuild (in the original style) and reopen their shops, and there are stonemasons working at the entrance of Aleppo Citadel, the jewel of the Middle East.
So where is Aleppo actually? Aleppo is located in the northwestern part of Syria. only about 30 miles (50 km) south of the Turkish border.
The Remains of The Old Souq.
From Inside the Souq, most of it looks like this part.
But luckily, so are some parts of the Souq almost untouched.
Father and son cleaning out the damage to their shop in the old Souq.
Some shops are almost rebuilt, notice that it’s rebuilt in the original style.
I like exploring!
Umayyad Mosque, The Great Mosque Of Aleppo.
The Umayyad Mosque was the largest and oldest mosque in Aleppo; it dated back to the year 715 and was one of the most beautiful mosques in the world, especially because its minaret was considered to be a national treasure, but unfortunately, it was blown up in on 24 April 2013 by Al Nusra (Al Queada).
The whole mosque is now planned to be rebuilt and restored to its former glory.
The entrance to the Grand Mosque, the Minerat, used to stand on the right side.
The broken entrance
The courtyard, the Minaret, used to be at the back left corner.
There´s less damage inside than I feared.
From the courtyard.
Aleppo Citadel after the war.
The Aleppo Citadel, a UNESCO world heritage site, was a proud treasure for the whole of the Middle East before the war.
It is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. Usage of the Citadel hill dates back at least to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC.
Aleppo International Airport reopened on 21 December 2020, with weekly flights to Cairo, Beirut and Erbil.
It has been used by and survived through many of the greatest civilizations in history, from the Greeks, Romans, Mongolians to the Ottomans, and it´s still standing now after the war.
It´s badly dammed inside, but restoration has already started. And it shouldn’t take many years before it’s back to its former glory and open once again to hoards of tourists.
I was granted full access to inside the citadel.
Aleppo Citadel from the western side.
School kids are back visiting the Citadel, Girls choose themselves if they want to cover their hair or not in Syria.
School kids are back visiting the Citadel.
walkway trough the citadel
The place where some of the oldest excavation has taken place.
The mosque inside is not damaged too badly.
The view from the top of the Minaret to the mosque.
Daily Life In Aleppo Ala 2017.
The daily life in Aleppo these days is very normal once again after the government regained control over the city. While walking around central Aleppo, will you wonder if there ever was a war happening here.
Locals on the streets.
Fancy some sexy underwear?
During Syria´s national football time, everyone gathers to watch it. I watched the football game between Syria and Australia at a public watching inside a basketball court.
The central park in Aleppo
Clean and green
Locals enjoying pizza and beer.
Christian Churches are open.
East Aleppo after the war.
The most destruction is located in this area, but even here have rebuilding begun, and we all remember reading about the last school that got bombed? It looks like a normal school to walk down to the basement and see ISIS flags.
Streets of the Eastern part of town, people caring building material back home.
That´s how a school looks like after it got hit by an airstrike.
So do you still think Aleppo is a city in ruins? I have some hundred more photos from my visit to the city, and I will be posting more photos in the near future. I will also include the photos from the children’s school that was used by Daesh (Isis) and Al Queada as headquarters in a general post about my visit to Syria soon.
After 3 eye-opening days in Aleppo, was it time to head back down to central Syria and Homs.
Read about my trip to Krak des Chevaliers & The Valley Of Christians by clicking this link.
Aleppo: Between Liberation and Rebuilding.
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on MARCH 14, 2021
| From ‚Gagzi everywhere‘, 7 December 2020. Gagzi is a young Syrian woman posting videos about heritage, culture and life in Syria and studying tourism at Damascus University. You can subscribe to her channel and see the original post here: Gagzi shows off Aleppo, under reconstruction |
Homs, Syria (From The Most Devastated Town And Back To Normal Life)
By AuthorChristian L.
Published: November 28, 2017 – Last updated: October 2, 2021
Homs was the city where the war in Syria started for full in March 2011, when the so-called moderate opposition killed 10 Syrian Army soldiers at a checkpoint and captured another 19 soldiers.
Government forces began an artillery bombardment of the old city of Homs on the night of 3 February 2012.
The protests started in the southern city of Daraa on March the 15th. But it was in Homs where it escalated and went from protests to a war.
The main square
Around 70% of Homs was destroyed before the city was back under Government control. Homs is the city where you will see the most destruction in Syria, but rebuilding has started and even the old Souq (market) that was completely destroyed during some of the heaviest battles during the war, is very soon ready to reopen.
A few shops are up and running already, and all others are soon to follow.
The Old Homs Souq is almost ready for reopening
Some parts of the Old Souq are already open after aid from UN
Some shops are already open.
Nature Taking over the broken part of Homs.
A waving and cheering taxi driver.
One of the areas with almost complete destruction.
There´s cleanup happening all over the destroyed areas.
The Kids still have smiles on their faces.
Kids are the biggest victims of every war.
Normal life in Homs is returning back to normal with the city getting rebuild fast;
Kids are back to schools, traditional restaurants are open, locals have started to move back and rebuild their homes, and shashlik stands are filling the street with the great smell of bbq.
Street BBQs are back on the streets.
Two young girls waiting for their dad at the Shaslki stand.
But Homs is also the city where you will hear the most disturbing tales from the locals, as for months they had to live under rebels rules.
The stories contain, rapes, decapitations, abductions of their kids, and in general things that make even the worst horror movie seem like a romantic date movie.
And one of the places with a lot of sorrow is the primary school where close to 50 school kids got killed by a double suicide bomb, the first bomb went off at the school’s gate, then when people rushed to help a second bomb went off at the Akrameh al-Makhzumi school.
The school is today completely rebuilt and up and running, and the bomb remains, and damage of the school is positively being used by the students in an art project for a better future.
School children in Homs.
Education in Syria is completely free and compulsory from the age of 6 to 15 (1st to 9th grade). English and French are taught from 1st grade, and for the young students, I met their English skill was very impressive and far ahead of the students back in my home country Norway.
If parents deny their kids education, they you be sentenced to 6 months in jail.
The Teachers Lounge.
While the outskirts of Homs is still almost completely devastated so has the center of Homs returned so somewhat normal life again, with locals enjoying shopping, shisha at street cafes, young couples holding hands, and young men watching European football on the big screens. Even I did some shopping here, I bought two nice shirts.
So you can see that even the most devastated city in Syria is returning to normal, do you still believe mainstream media claiming that Syria is a country in Ruins??
Before the war, Homs was the starting point to the amazing Crusader Castle Krak des Chevaliers from the 11th century and The Valley Of Christians home to the famous Saint Georgie Monastery and the villages surrounding the valley being home to more than 200 000 Christians in Syria. I did visit both Krak des Chevaliers and the Valley of Christians during my visit to Syria.
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By AuthorChristian L.
Published: November 28, 2017 – Last updated: October 2, 2021Tags
| Wiederaufbau in Syrien Herausforderungen und Handlungsoptionen für die EU und ihre MitgliedstaatenSWP-Studie 2020/S 07, April 2020, 37 Seiten Dr. Muriel Asseburg ist Senior Fellow in der Forschungsgruppe Naher / Mittlerer Osten und Afrika.pdf ■ Der Bürgerkrieg in Syrien ist längst militärisch zugunsten des Regimes entschieden. Eine verhandelte Konfliktregelung, eine Aussöhnung oder eine nachhaltige Stabilisierung sind für das Land nicht in Sicht .■ Syrien steht vor enormen Herausforderungen, die über den Wiederaufbau von Infrastruktur und Wohnraum weit hinausgehen. Dazu gehören vor allem Anschubhilfe für eine wirtschaftliche Erholung, die Stabilisierung der Währung und die Erneuerung staatliche ■ Die EU und ihre Mitgliedstaaten haben ein Engagement beim Wiederaufbau Syriens von tragfähigen Schritten in Richtung einer verhandelten Konfliktregelung und einer politischen Öffnung des Landes abhängig gemacht. Sie sollten ihren Ansatz so anpassen, dass er besser den Herausforderungen vor Ort und der aktuellen Realität entspricht. ■ Das bedeutet insbesondere, humanitäre Hilfe effektiver einzusetzen, sektorale Sanktionen abzubauen und die Rehabilitierung von Basisinfrastruktur auch in Gebieten zu unterstützen, die unter Kontrolle der syrischen Regierung stehen. Auf diese Weise ließe sich wirksamer als bislang zur |
Problematischer «Wiederaufbau» in Syrien
Februar 2019 AUTOR Harald Etzbach
| Die Pläne sind längst geschmiedet. Das Dilemma: Eine Förderung des Aufbaus in Syrien unterstützt immer auch das Assad-Regime.(…)Nicht verwunderlich ist, dass das Assad-Regime wiederholt erklärt hat, der Wiederaufbau des Landes solle vor allem von seinen Verbündeten geleistet werden. Russlands ökonomische Rolle ist schon in den letzten Jahren parallel zu seiner militärischen Bedeutung für das Überleben des Assad-Regimes deutlich gewachsen. Bereits im Oktober 2015 führte der Besuch einer russischen Delegation in Damaskus zum Abschluss von Verträgen in Höhe von insgesamt mindestens 850 Millionen Euro. Ein Jahr später, im November 2016, erklärte der syrische Außenminister Walid Muallem anlässlich des Besuchs einer weiteren russischen Delegation, Russland stehe beim Wiederaufbau Syriens Priorität zu.Im Januar 2018 unterzeichnete Moskau ein bilaterales Abkommen mit Damaskus, das ihm exklusive Förderrechte für Öl und Gas in Gebieten unter unmittelbarer Kontrolle des Assad-Regimes einräumte. Diesem Abkommen folgte die Ankündigung des russischen Energieministers Alexander Nowak, dass Moskau mit Syrien einen «Fahrplan» zur «Wiederherstellung von Ölfeldern und Entwicklung neuer Lagerstätten» unterzeichnet habe. Im Oktober 2018 wurde schließlich die Zusammenarbeit zur Verbesserung der syrischen Ölförderanlagen angekündigt.(…) |
Syria’s society, culture, civilization, religions and women – with Janice Kortkamp
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