Condemnation mounted yesterday over deadly air strikes on a camp for displaced people in northern Syria. Qatar denounced the air raids that targeted the Kamouna camp in Idlib province.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the raids as “criminal and contradictory to all human principles”.
The raids undermine peace efforts in Syria.
Women and children were among 28 civilians killed in the raids. The strikes came as a 48-hour ceasefire took hold in the battleground city of Aleppo to the east.
The raids prove once again that the Syrian regime has no intention to abide by international protocols. A stronger world response is called for.
Mamun al-Khatib, director of the Aleppo-based pro-rebel Shahba Press news agency, accused “regime aircraft” of firing missiles at the camp.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “outraged” by the attack on the camp and said those responsible must face justice.
Ban demanded once again that the UN Security Council refer Syria to the International Criminal Court so that the tribunal based in The Hague can open up investigations of possible war crimes.
The United States described the raids as “totally in keeping” with the regime’s past operations.
“There’s absolutely no justification for attacks on civilians in Syria, but especially on what appears to have been a refugee camp,” US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said the camp’s tents could clearly be seen from the air so it was “extremely unlikely” to have been an accident.
Warning on water shortages
The latest World Bank warning that water shortages will deliver a “severe hit” to the economies of the Middle East, central Asia and Africa by the middle of the century, needs to heeded by the regional governments.
By 2050, growing demand for cities and for agriculture would put water in short supply in regions where it is now plentiful - and worsen shortages across a vast swath of Africa and Asia, spurring conflict and migration, according to the bank.
Water shortages could strip off 14% of GDP in the Middle East and nearly 12% of GDP in the Sahel - without a radical shift in management, according to the bank’s projections.
In fact, much of the world faces a hotter and drier future under climate change. Rainfall - including the monsoons that fortify agriculture in south Asia – will become more unpredictable. Storm surges could contaminate freshwater reservoirs.
But there will also be pressure on water supply from rising populations - especially in cities - and increased demand from agriculture.
Some cities could see water availability drop by two-thirds by 2050. Water shortages could have rebounding effects on food production, public health, and household incomes - with families forced to pay more for a basic necessity.
But, encouraging more efficient use of water could make a big difference in the mid-century economic scenarios for regions threatened by water shortages.
