Page 186 - A Helping Hand for Refugees

Today only 18,000 people are left in Yarmouk. In an unexpected
twist of events, and to make matters even worse, the self-ascribed
Islamic State (IS) seized 90 percent of this area and started its own cam-
paign of violence as a manifestation of their skewed interpretation of
Islam. The UN has urged immediate evacuation and according to the
latest news, some 2,000 had already been evacuated.

Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General for the United Nations
(UNRWA), is visiting Yarmouk to hear from refugees affected by the

crisis, and consult with leaders on how to send aid to people in need.
These are good news but clearly not
enough. So what should be done?

Before we start talking about the
real solution to the problems in the
Middle East, including those that
gave rise to the IS, we have to talk
about short-term and quick fixes
to this very urgent humani-
tarian crisis. It is imperative

that the UN immediately

184 A Helping Hand for Refugees