This Sunday,
March 15, marks the fourth anniversary of the start of the bloody conflict in
Syria. I wanted to share “Afraid of the
Dark”, a short video reminding people that the conflict is still going on and
showing one of its repercussions.
Since the start
of the war, 83% of all the lights in
Syria have literally gone out. Analysing satellite images, scientists based at
Wuhan University in China, in co-operation with the #withSyria
coalition of 130 non-governmental organisations, have shown that the number of
lights visible over Syria at night has fallen by 83% since March 2011. In cities like Aleppo, the situation is even more extreme – satellite images show that 97 percent of lights have gone out since 2011.
The video makers
- BAFTA-winning agency Don’t Panic and production partners UNIT9 – wanted to
use this little-thought off repercussion of the conflict as a symbol of the
darkness and chaos in which the country has been plunged already four years ago. Over 200,000 people have died and millions more have been forced to flee their homes.
Four years since the start of the crisis, tell world leaders that they must stand by Syrians
Four years since the start of the crisis, tell world leaders that they must stand by Syrians
"It is a
literal truth that 83% of Syria's lights have gone out since the start of the
war," said Richard Beer, Creative Director of Don't Panic, "but the
darkness that afflicts them has a metaphorical truth that goes deeper. We
wanted to use this shocking statistic to tell the story of just how far Syria
has fallen into darkness, in every conceivable way, despite UN resolutions and
international outcry. The hero of our film, Khalid, could afford to be afraid
of the dark four years ago; now he faces far worse every day, despite his own
bravery. He, and all Syrians like him, need our help."
Directed by
UNIT9’s Greg&Jacob, this video is part of an international campaign
launched by the #withSyria coalition. The
coalition is a movement of humanitarian and human rights organisations from
around the world, including Oxfam, Amnesty, International Rescue Committee, and
the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), standing in solidarity
with those caught in the conflict.
The #withSyria coalition launched this video alongside
a global petition, calling on world leaders to ‘turn the lights back on in
Syria’ by:
• Prioritising a political solution
with human rights at its heart;
• Boosting the humanitarian response
both for those inside Syria and refugees, including through increased
resettlement;
• Insisting that all parties put an end
to attacks on civilians and stop blocking aid
A new report
'Failing Syria' released today by 21 humanitarian and human rights
organisations accuses warring parties and powerful states of failing to achieve
what three 2014 UN Security Council resolutions set out to do.
