The war and violence resulted in flagrant violation of human rights around the globe and a large number of people, including women and children, suffer in one way or another. The never-ending bloodshed and hackneyed words making the headlines on national and international newspapers will hardly ever shake one’s conscience. The riddled and amputated bodies in a suicide bombing and hot drops of blood oozing from sliced throats seem no more than tragic plays or horror films in movies. One is unlikely to be taken aback while hearing the heart-wrenching stories of war victims, who undergo the radical ideology of militant fighters. For instance, women are raped on the grounds of their sex, ethnicity or faith and children are slaughtered like sheep.
The world faces the largest humanitarian crisis since the United Nations was founded in 1945 with more than 20 million people in four countries at risk of starvation and famine, the UN humanitarian chief has said. “Without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death” and “many more will suffer and die from disease”. Stephen O’Brien is cited as saying. He urged an immediate injection of funds for Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeast Nigeria plus safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid “to avert a catastrophe”. It is further said that the largest humanitarian crisis is in Yemen where two-thirds of the population - 18.8 million people - need aid and more than seven million people are hungry and do not know where their next meal will come from.
Worst of all, in northeast Nigeria, a seven-year uprising by the armed group Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 people and driven 2.6 million from their homes. A UN humanitarian coordinator said last month that malnutrition in the northeast is so pronounced that some adults are too weak to walk and some communities have lost all their toddlers.
The terrorism, which is engendered from radical ideology and supported by mysterious hand, has changed into a global threat and inflicted heavy casualties upon human societies, mainly Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The innocent individuals are believed to bear the brunt of violence in the aforementioned countries. The militants’ indiscriminate killing is a flagrant violation of humanitarian law.
Stoking sectarian violence and spilling the blood of non-combatants on the basis of their caste, color and creed is a highly serious issue, which is carried out by the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) across the country, mainly in the aforementioned countries. Reportedly, two bombs killed at least 40 people and wounded more than 100 others in the Old City of Damascus on Saturday in a rare attack in the Syrian capital, near Bab al-Saghir cemetery. The cemetery is one of the capital’s most ancient and is where several prominent religious figures are buried. It is said that the attacks targeted civilians, including Arab visitors, who were frequenting the shrines in the area. “Preliminary statistics indicate the fall of around 40 Iraqi martyrs and 120 wounded,” Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said in a statement, terming it a “criminal terrorist operation”.
A similar attack in Damascus last year targeted one of the most revered shrines and was claimed by the ISIL group. The ISIL militants have carried out attacks of the same nature on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, Pakistan on January 14 and on Sardar Daud Khan’s Hospital in Kabul on March 8 – as they claimed responsibility for both the deadly attacks which left hundreds of casualties behind.
ISIL is believed to be a pawn in political games and act as mercenary fighters rather than practicing upon a certain ideology. It is most likely that members of the ISIL group come from poor backgrounds and fight to gain financial support and satisfy their carnal desires through illegal means and engaging in moral corruptions. Their immoral and inhuman practices are no more a mystery for the world. But they have put on the mask of religion without having basic knowledge in religious issues; their misdeeds suggest the very fact.
It is really excruciating to see the flagrant violation of human rights and dignity whereas the democratic discourses is hotly debated in international conferences regarding the protection of human rights and liberty. On the other hand, streams of blood are shed and thousands of people are killed by warring factions. The statistics about the death of mankind suggest the fact that life has turned extremely cheap. Moreover, the unmitigated violence has led to mass exodus and poverty. Reports say that the Arab world’s poorest nation is engulfed in conflict and more than 48,000 people fled fighting just in the past two months.
The poignant incidents and heart-wrenching stories of war victims are stain on the collective conscience. The almost passive role of the international community in such a critical situation is a matter of great concern. The world will have to stop playing the role of spectator and sometimes condemning the issue. There is a lot to be done so as to root out the terrorism and uphold the rights and dignity of the people regardless of their ethnicity, color or faith. There is a crying for ending the war through an effective strategy and combating insurgency.