Siege Letter
Sieges have been used as a tactic throughout the Syrian conflict, resulting in mass starvation and loss of life. In January 2016, we wrote an open letter to the UN accusing it of complicity in the regime’s deployment of sieges. Signed by 112 Syrian civil society activists, the letter said that the UN was too reliant on permission from the regime to deliver aid, despite any disruption of aid being forbidden under international law. The letter reflected our ongoing frustrations with the UN, which has constantly sought to work with the regime rather than prioritising the Syrian people.
For many of us in Syria, the UN has turned from a symbol of hope into a symbol of complicity.
The letter was published by the Huffington Post and picked up by the Washington Post, allowing the voices of medical workers, teachers, rescue workers, and civil society activists to be heard worldwide as they demanded an end to the regime’s “surrender or starve” policy. It didn’t lead to the UN changing its behaviour in Syria, but it exposed the shameful situation where UN aid was left to sit in warehouses because the organisation wouldn’t risk angering the regime to deliver it to starving people.
What we learnt
To reach a wide audience, it is worth teaming up with journalists and using their platforms to publicise a campaign.